Connection, a Brittana Love Story
by brittana7
Summary: Santana is living in New York, studying at NYADA. She loves singing and dancing, and she loves the going out and the partying (who doesn't?) but the truth is, she's kind of lost. She has been for a while, she's just not sure how to fix it, or what even needs fixing. When she sees a blonde dancing in the studio, she can't help but think it's the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

She knew she should open her eyes. She knew she should at least try, but she just couldn't. Or _wouldn't _was probably a more accurate description. She wasn't sure if it was the overwhelming feeling that she had massively overslept _again_, or the sharp pain in her head that she could feel getting worse by the second.

_Okay. One. Two. Three._

_Shit._

10:32 were the numbers glaring at her from her alarm clock when she finally managed to wrench an eye open. She groaned dramatically and rolled over onto her other side. Yep, this time an hour ago was when she should have been walking into her vocal theory class at NYADA. _Shit_. And exactly two minutes ago she was meant to meet Quinn for coffee. _Double shit. _

After seriously considering closing her eyes again and trying to pretend this was all just one terrible nightmare and not something that has happened for the third time this week, Santana decided it was probably a good idea to get her lazy ass out of bed and get herself something to eat. Or at least a coffee. A _strong_ coffee. And an aspirin come to think of it. Grabbing her McKinley hoodie from a pile of clothes on the floor, the Latina stumbled out of her still darkened room and into the living room of her open-plan apartment. Her blissful, half-asleep state was interrupted by a shrill voice coming from the kitchen.

"Santana! What on earth are you still doing here? I thought you had class at-"

"Berry, _please _pipe down_._ Your voice is _way_ too high-pitched for this early in the morning. At least let me gets me an aspirin first." Santana said with a groan before making her way over to the kitchen, reaching up to the cabinet above the sink and grabbing a box of pills.

"I think, Santana, you'll find that it is no longer _early_, being almost 11 o'clock, and I was merely helping you by pointing out that you had a class to get to." Without bothering to reply, Santana simply shot one of her famous glares towards her roommate, before swallowing the pill and pouring herself a large cup of coffee. Sitting herself down on a stool at the island, she tried to ignore her friend clattering around the kitchen, grabbing various pots and pans and generally making way too much noise.

"Hey Dwarf," she almost shouted so as to make herself heard above the clanging of frying pans and slamming of cupboard doors. "For an abnormally small personal you're making a hell of a lot of noise. Either keep it the fuck down or be a decent human being and making Aunty Tana some breakfast too. Or preferably both. I'm trying my hardest over here not to die of what I'm starting to think is _the _world's worst hangover. Thanks." With an overly sweet smile aimed at the back of her roommate's head, she returned to sipping on her much needed coffee and rubbing her throbbing temples.

Rachel stopped what she was doing and spun on her feet to face Santana, frying pan in hand. "First of all, you have only yourself to blame for that hangover, Santana. What time did you even get in last night? I dread to think where you were or how much you drank or who… well anyway it's your own fault. And as for breakfast," she started, shaking the pan in the Latina's direction. "What makes you think I'm going to make you any? You're in a foul mood this morning and besides, you always complain about my vegan cooking." She said, almost triumphantly, and span on her heels again in order to continue what she was doing.

Amused at how pleased Rachel was with her comeback, and realising she had better play nice if she wanted to eat, Santana walked over and wrapped her arms around her friend's waist and pulled her into a tight hug. "Okay, Berry, you win. Will you pretty please with a cherry on top make me an omelette if I'm extra specially nice to you today?" Rachel didn't reply, but Santana could just about see the sides of her mouth lifting up into a tiny smirk. "_And _I'll take us all out on Saturday night to celebrate your big show case?"

After a small pause, Rachel sighed dramatically, peeled her friend's arm off from around her waist, and immediately got to work, cracking eggs and whatnot. Content with her work, and finally feeling the aspirin kicking in, Santana downed the rest of her coffee and went back to her room to grab her phone.

2 missed calls. Three text messages. Great. Here goes…

_I'm here, take it we're still on for coffee? – Quinn_

_Santana, where are you? I've been here for like 20 mins? – Quinn_

_Fuck this I'm going. Call me later bitch. – Quinn_

Oops. This isn't going to be pleasant. She may be her closest friend, but Quinn sure as hell didn't put up with this kind of shit from her.

_Sorry, Q. Big night, overslept. Make it up to you with coffee later? Starbucks at 3? X – Santana_

Throwing her phone onto her bed she headed towards the bathroom for a quick shower.

**…**

After showering and changing, Santana picked up her phone to see a new message from Quinn saying that she'd see her and Rachel at 2.30. She groaned at the news the hobbit would be joining them, before remembering about the omelette and rushed into the kitchen excitedly to receive the plate being held out for her.

"You're _welcome!" _Rachel snapped sarcastically, before taking a seat opposite to her roommate at the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"Oh, uh yeah thanks Berry." Santana mumbled through a mouthful of breakfast. "Oh by the way, we're meeting Q for coffee at 2.30." Rachel's eyes lit up and her scowl at Santana's below par table manners was replaced by a wide grin at the mention of their friend's name. "Wonderful! I'm going to go and change." And with that she practically skipped over to her room, finally leaving Santana in piece.

**…**

Santana and Rachel were now sitting at a booth in Starbucks waiting for Quinn. In her excitement and hurry, Rachel had forcefully pulled her roommate off the couch and out of the door, much to Santana's annoyance because she was still feeling rather delicate from the previous night. Rachel had also insisted on practically running the 3 blocks to the café which had not added to her hungover state.

So here they now were, sitting opposite from one another, Rachel smiling giddily and hammering on about how excited she was to see Quinn, and how she hadn't seen her in over three days, blah, blah, blah. It was all Santana could do to sit there, her head in her hands whilst trying to a) drown out the horrifically loud and high-pitched voice of one Rachel Berry, and b) try to keep down the omelette which had not turned out to be such a brilliant idea in her delicate condition. She was dragged from her thoughts by the chime of the bell and a squeal from her friend opposite as she looked up to see Quinn walk through the door of the café, a mountain of books hugged tight to her chest. She was wearing a simple black skirt and a pretty blouse.

"You look nice. Very 'preppy NYU student'." Santana remarked with a smirk as her closest friend approached their booth.

"You look dreadful. Did you go to bed at _all_ last night?" Was the quick remark fired back at her, followed by a matching smirk from the blonde.

"Touché, Fabray. Touché." The Latina smiled and gave her a friendly nudge as she came and sat down next to her. See, this is why she loves Quinn, because with just a look, all the shit from this morning is forgotten and they're back to their usual selves again. It was the same throughout high school. They were the most popular girls at McKinley, co-captains of the cheerleading squad, the hottest bitches in that place. Even glee club didn't change that.

"It's so wonderful to see you, Quinn! We've missed you." Rachel sang from the opposite side of the table.

"It's only been a few days Rachel! I've been so busy with coursework and assignments. And… I have some exciting news!" At that point the annoyingly friendly waitress came over with the latte and chai tea Santana and Rachel had ordered. _Bitch sure has great timing_. After a glare from Santana, and taking Quinn's order, the waitress disappeared again. Quinn shuffled in her seat and both Santana and Rachel looked at her expectantly.

"_Well…?" _Santana asked with impatience. "What's this big exciting news so I can finally go back to bed?"

"I got a roommate!" Quinn exclaimed, her eyes darting from Rachel, who was squealing with excitement to Santana, who stared back at her, a mixture of confusion and disapproval etched across her unmade-up face.

"That's so excit-"

"I didn't even know you were looking for a roommate." Santana snapped, interrupting Rachel. "If I'd have known I sure as hell would have ditched Man Hands over here and Lady Hummel to come live with you. Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

Quinn took a deep breath and turned to face her friend. "Santana, we both know you and I living together would be a bad idea. We would kill each other. Either that or you'd try and jump me again and that would just not be ok. Plus, I know you, and I know you're happy with Kurt and Rachel." Rachel's look of hurt swiftly changed into a smug sort of smile which made Santana groan but before she could counter Quinn cut her off. "Besides, it was a very last minute decision. Now that Daddy's lost his job I need help with the rent. So it was a money thing really, don't look like a kicked puppy S."

"Whatever, I gots to get me back to bed afores I either fall asleep here or throw up over Berry. This hangover is horrendous." With that she got herself up and left the other two to chuckle and shake their heads.

**...**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

The next morning, Santana was sat alone at the kitchen island, sipping on a large mug of coffee and flicking her way through a magazine. She had class at 11, and although it was only 9.15, Santana was up, showered, dressed _and _had eaten breakfast. See, model college student right here. _Suck it Berry. _She had made a point of going to bed early last night and fighting the urge to go out and attempt to cure her hangover with more drinking. _That works right? _She had managed to ignore all of Puckerman's many texts trying to persuade her to come to Lola's, andevenblocked out the sound of Rachel and Kurt's _extremely _loud and annoying singing practice at 10 o'clock last night. God knows why they feel it necessary to practice their pathetic duet at such antisocial hours.

But anyway, here she was, all made up and looking _hot._ She always did, but today was her vocal performance class and there were too many cute guys in there to turn up in sweats. Most of them probably bat for the other team, but still. A girl's gotta make an effort. She's also pretty sure she's seen some of the girls checking her out as well, so why not make herself look good?

She was dragged from her lovely thoughts about, well, her, by Kurt waltzing into the kitchen. "Morning Santan-" She looked up when he stopped himself, and watched as he feigned an overly-dramatic double take. "Is this? Could this be? Is this Santana up and ready before Rachel and I? Has Hell frozen over and Santana Lopez is for once in her life _without_ a hangover?"

Rolling her eyes at the expression of mock-horror on his face, she proceeded to remove herself from her stool and pour a second cup of coffee for her roommate. Stifling a chuckle at the _real_ look of horror now spreading across Kurt's face, she thrust the mug into his hands and returned to her seat. "Take it, before I change my mind about being nice to you this morning."

"And to what _do _I owe the pleasure of your delightful mood today?" Kurt asked with a hint of sarcasm, taking a sip of coffee and stealing the magazine from his friend. Santana shot him a glare, and then shrugged, getting up from her seat and making her way to her room.

"I don't know, I'm just in a good mood. Is there a problem with that?" She asked, turning back to give her roommate her best _don't mess with me _look. "Aunty Tana just has a good feeling about today, Lady Hummel." And with that she disappeared through her door.

**…**

Santana picked up her bag after class and walked out of the studio room with a smug smile tugging at her lips. She could feel the eyes of her classmates raking her body as she exited through the door. She knew her ass looked great in these jeans. She checked her phone for the time and, seeing it was 1.05 and she was meeting Kurt and Rachel for lunch in 10 minutes, she began to make her way along the corridor. Desperately trying to remember where their class was, she passed studio upon studio, some empty and others filled with NYADA students singing and dancing away.

She had nailed her performance earlier, she knew it. She could see the way her classmates had watched her, eyes wide and mouths open, occasionally whispering comments excitedly to each other, and she had noticed the impressed smile on her professor, Miss Holliday's face. She _loved _singing, and she was good. Maybe not Rachel Berry, _I'm going to be a famous Broadway star, _good. But still good. Santana knew she wanted to sing, and dance, and… okay so maybe she hadn't figured out _exactly_ what she wanted to do yet. But who cares? She was having fun.

She was interrupted from her daydream by a flash of movement in the corner of her eye. She turned to see what had caught her attention and peered cautiously through the slightly ajar door of a dance studio to her right. She stopped. Her breath hitched in her throat. She stared, unable to tear her eyes away from the figure in front of her, turning and jumping and pirouetting like it was the most natural thing in the world. Santana had never seen anything like it. The blonde girl wasn't even dancing to any music, and so the only sound the Latina could hear was the impossibly fast beating of her own heart.

Suddenly the girl in front of her stopped her entrancing routine and turned quickly towards the door. Her deep blue eyes locked with Santana's dark ones. _Shit. _She'd been caught just standing there, awkwardly leering through the crack in the door, staring at a girl she'd never met. And now she was staring right back at her, with an intensity that made Santana's stomach tighten. Yet neither of them looked away; she _couldn't. _This girl was mesmerising. _Okay that sounded creepy._ _But seriously_, she was the most beautiful thing the Latina had ever seen. She pulled her gaze from the dancer's, only to rake her eyes along her toned physique. Her long, blonde hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, she was wearing grey sweats and a tight tank top which had ridden up slightly to reveal toned abs. _Wow. _There went her stomach again.

Before she could meet those gorgeous blue eyes again, she jumped at a buzzing in her hand. Taken completely by surprise, she somehow managed to drop her cell phone which thumped loudly onto the wooden floor and she awkwardly scrambled to pick it up. Feeling her cheeks hot with embarrassment, she rushed to her feet again and took one last look at the blonde, whose eyes were still fixed on her and a smirk tugged at her perfectly pink lips. _Great._

Quickly glancing at the message which had been the cause of such an embarrassing moment, she quickly remembered where she was meant to be going. Hardly bothering to read the text from Rachel, which was some bullshit about how Santana was late, _as usual, _and that Rachel and Kurt would meet her at the restaurant, blah, blah, blah, the Latina turned on her heels and swiftly headed towards the exit of the NYADA building. _Well that was weird. _

**…**

On her way to the restaurant, which was just around the corner from NYADA, Santana replayed what had just happened in her head. _That girl. _There was something about her. Santana wasn't sure if it was the way she moved so effortlessly around that studio, the way her toned body twisted and turned so gracefully to the silent music, the way that half smirk, half genuine smile had tugged at her lips when she looked at the darker girl, or if it was those _eyes. _She had felt weak under their stare, intoxicated, unable to speak or think. She had never seen anything as transfixing as those bright blue eyes. Yet they felt so familiar, like she'd seen them before. She's sure she would never have forgotten them if she had. But why did she feel like she knew them? Like she knew _her?_

_Shut up Lopez, you sound like an idiot. A crazy, infatuated, obsessed idiot. _She was sure she was just light headed from being hungry, and probably from the adrenaline rush she had gotten form her unbelievably awesome performance earlier. Yeah, that was it. She shook the beautiful blonde from her mind as she pushed open the door to the restaurant where she could already see Tweedledum and Tweedledee waiting for her.

**…**

Twenty minutes later, Santana was sitting opposite from Kurt and Rachel, trying desperately hard to concentrate on her Caesar salad, all her willpower going into not lunging across the table and strangling one of them. Sure, she had grown to kind of love those two losers – not that she would admit that to anyone, ever – but they sure as hell knew how to grind on her. And not in the dirty way. For the past ten minutes, Rachel and Kurt had been playing some kind of lame-ass game of name the Tony Award winner, or some bullshit like that. Santana had tried to listen to as little as possible of the _extremely _gay conversation going on around her, but every time she tried to think about other things, only one thought in particular kept flashing up in her mind.

"That's it!" Santana snapped eventually. "I literally cannot take _one _more word of your blabbering, otherwise I will actually die right here and now due to extreme boredom and or embarrassment." She was met with an exceedingly shocked expression from Rachel and simply an amused smirk from Kurt.

"Alright Satan, we'll stop with the Broadway. I see your sprightly mood from this morning has worn off fast. What would _you _care to engage us in conversation about?" He asked, taking a bite from his sandwich.

"Uh, well I don't know. Actually, I have to admit I'm pretty intrigued about Q's new roommate. God knows who she's managed to drag off the streets at such short notice." Santana snorted, taking a sip on her cappuccino.

"Is someone still a bit bitter that she wasn't considered?" Rachel asked in that annoying, condescending tone of hers.

"Shut it, Berry. Not all of us are obsessed with Fabgay like you are. I wouldn't be surprised if you two were secretly hooking up judging by your giddy excitement whenever you see her. You're like a freaking cat on heat every time you're around her, we can practically see you spraying all over her." The Latina retorted with an eye roll and took another sip of coffee. Rachel's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink at this attack, which caused Santana to smile smugly into her coffee mug.

"I'll try and ignore that extremely immature _and_ inaccurate comment, Santana, and tell you instead that we will in fact be meeting the famous roommate tonight." At this, Santana looked up, eye brows raised in curiosity.

"Quinn's invited us all over for dinner to meet this girl properly." Kurt chimed in. "She said to be at hers at 7.30, so we can all leave together from the apartment at 7. Santana, you've only got one more class today right?"

"Yep, performance theory. And why am I the last one to hear about this grand dinner?" She snapped, hurt that her best friend had texted Lady Hummel and Hobbit and not her.

"Probably because she knows you don't care or expect you to like her?" Kurt suggested with a smart-ass tone Santana did not take kindly to. _Why would she not like her?_

"You never like _anyone, _Santana. You're not exactly the easiest to win over." Rachel scoffed before Santana could actually ask the question out load. _She totally likes people._ True, she's a hard judge of character, and doesn't just _befriend_ every single one of the annoyingly camp people she meets at NYADA like Berry and Hummel do. But she _likes _people. Okay, maybe the last actual relationship she had was in high school with Puck – there's a thought to put her off her lunch – and since being in New York she hasn't had a relationship that lasted longer than breakfast the morning after, that's if she hadn't already snuck out before that. But she likes it that way. She's can do one-night-stands and random hook-ups. But relationships? Feelings? No.

"Thank you, Berry, for that _insightful_ revelation. But I gots to be going. See you guys later." She said before getting up from her seat and strutting her way out of the restaurant. She couldn't help but be curious about who Quinn has chosen to live with, and felt a small twinge in her stomach, which felt curiously a lot like nerves. _What was up her with today?_


	3. Chapter 3

HEY GUYS! So I hope you liked the first couple of little chapters, just introducing the story etc. This is my first go at this - I've read some Brittana fanfics and just kinda decided to try one out for myself! So I hope you like it, and of course would love love love to hear what you guys think, so any reviews are welcome, or if you wanna message me or whatever then go for it.

Enjoy! x

Chapter 3:

Santana threw herself onto the couch, chucking her bag on the floor and reaching for the TV remote. _God _that class dragged on. It was Friday and almost 5 o'clock, so she was exhausted. The weekend could not have come soon enough. Santana loved the weekends – no early mornings, no classes, and no annoying comments from Rachel about how she _really should be up by now_. She could get up late, watch TV, maybe catch up on work and just generally _relax…_

"Hello!" Rachel's shrill voice jolted Santana from her wonderful state of calm. "_So, _what do we think this new roommate of Quinn's is going to be like? I personally cannot wait to meet her!" She squealed, launching herself onto the sofa next to her friend.

"Jesus, Berry. Are you _trying _to give me a heart attack?" Santana retorted. She wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with an overexcited Rachel right now. "And I have no idea what kind of a freak show Quinn's planning on introducing into our lives. And I couldn't give a shit either." She got up and made her way to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

"_Well," _Rachel continued, ignoring her roommate's sour tone. "Apparently she's super nice and really pretty. Like _really _pretty. And Quinn said she used to live in Lima and even went to elementary school with you guys. Their parents are still friends I think. Anyway I can't wait!" Rachel was getting more and more excited, her voice getting higher and faster with each word. "I think we're all going to get on so well, and it's so cool that she used to live in the same town as all of us, and went to the same school as you and Quinn and-"

"Berry I'm gonna stop you right there. Only dogs can hear you now." Santana interrupted, wincing at the now painfully high-pitched voice following her from the living room. She swapped her tea mug for a wine glass, deciding she was going to need something stronger if she was going to put up with this all night. Grabbing a bottle of white from the fridge and pouring herself a glass, she began to wonder about this girl Q had decided to live with instead of her awesome self. _They went to elementary school together? That's weird._ She wondered who it could be. She never really thought about back then - it was over ten years ago after all. The truth is, she didn't really _like _to think about it all that much. Things were a lot simpler then; her dad was still around, her family was still a family, she didn't have to worry about who she was or what people thought of her. Shewas _happy_.

Okay, so she was now a little intrigued to meet this so called _really pretty _girl, but she daren't admit it to Rachel for fear of encouraging her giddy excitement.

"So I guess either Kurt or I will be driving us tonight then?" Rachel questioned, eyeing the rather large class of wine Santana was now sipping on.

"Oh calm down, Midget. You and Kurt never want to drink. And besides, if you feel like going crazy and helping yourself to a wine cooler or something equally _gay_, we can always just crash at Quinn's. Live a little, Berry. It's the weekend." Santana said with a shrug before starting back towards the living room.

"Fine." Rachel sighed, putting the top back on the wine bottle Santana had got out and returning it to the fridge. "But you better start getting ready! We've got to leave soon. And please, Santana, _try _and make an effort_."_ The Latina carried on walking, sending a dismissive hand wave in the direction of her roommate.

**…**

It was now 7.20. Santana was standing in front of the mirror in her room, showered, hair blow dried, make-up done and dressed. She admired her reflection, pleased with the outfit she had picked out. She was wearing her staple black, heeled boots, black jeans which hugged her ass perfectly, and a red top showing just the right amount of cleavage. She looked _good._ She always did, but for some reason, and not just because of Rachel's annoying comment earlier, Santana felt she should look her best tonight; she wanted to make a good impression.

"Santana!" Kurt called from the living room. "Hurry up!" _Jeez, keep your knickers on Lady Boy. _Fluffing her hair once more and shoving her phone and trusty lip gloss into her purse, Santana switched the light off in her room and made her way to the others.

Her two roommates were standing by the front door, arms crossed looking very impatient when she finally emerged from her bedroom. A wide grin spread its way across Kurt's face and he wolf-whistled as the Latina appeared in the living room. Even Rachel, who was trying her best to look annoyed at being kept waiting, couldn't help the smile that tugged her lips at the sight of her friend. "You look _divine_ Miss Lopez," Kurt announced with a clap of his hands. "You are completely forgiven for keeping your friends waiting."

"Why thank you, Mr Hummel." She returned playfully, taking a mock bow for added effect. "Now let's get this over and done with." And with a friendly nudge to Rachel's shoulder, the three of them were out the door.

**…**

About 20 minutes and a whole lot of traffic later, the trio were pulling up outside Quinn's building. While Santana wandered why they didn't just walk there as it probably would have taken them half the time, they made their way through the door after being buzzed in, and stepped into the elevator waiting for them.

Clutching in one hand the bottle of wine which she had brought as a gift but was now seriously considering using as a weapon if Rachel didn't stop singing anytime soon, Santana decided to check her phone. She had a message from Puckerman seeing if they were still on for tomorrow night. It was Rachel's showcase performance tomorrow and, in return for the omelette, Santana had promised to take them all out and celebrate. It wasn't really much of a stretch, seeing as Puck was the manager at Lola's, a cool bar just down the road which had quickly become their favourite since moving to New York, and could get them drinks on the house all night, but still she was excited. She needed a night out, especially after all that weirdness this morning, and _shit. _She was trying not to think about that, or about _her._ She'd tried so hard to push the vision of blonde hair and blue eyes from her mind all afternoon during class and all evening as she got ready, and now here she was again, unable to shake that feeling. What _was _that? She could feel her cheeks heating up again, and her breathing quicken as she remembered the way the blonde had looked at her with such_…such… _She couldn't for the life of her work out what it was.

Shaken from her thoughts by a nudge from Rachel, Santana turned to see her friend staring at her with a mixture of concern and confusion. With a shrug and a wave of her hand as if to say _I'm fine_, she tried quickly to compose herself as the doors of the elevator flew open and the three of them stepped out into the hallway. Kurt knocked tunefully on the door numbered 302 and the friends waited to be let in. _Jesus, he even manages to make his knock gay._ Santana shuffled her feet, not sure as to why she was suddenly feeling nervous. When the door finally opened, she looked up and her breath immediately caught in her throat.

_Oh. My. God._

_Shit. Fuck. Shit._ She blinked._ Yep, it was definitely her. _The same blonde she hadn't been able to stop thinking about all day. Those same beautifully blue eyes that had locked onto hers after she was caught shamelessly staring – no, _leering_ – at this girl just this morning. She couldn't think, she definitely couldn't speak. All she could do was stand there, rooted to the spot, probably staring like a lunatic at Quinn's new roommate who was greeting them.

"Santana?" Came Rachel's voice from beside her. _Shit. How long had she been staring like that?_

"Oh, I… Uh…" _Why the fuck couldn't she form words? Words. Any words. Any words at all. _She looked up only to find piercing blue eyes staring back at her. _Big mistake. _They were holding her gaze with that same intensity as before, causing any hope she had had of speaking to disappear completely. The blonde, obviously extremely amused by the reaction she was getting from the darker girl, smiled – that same half smile, half smirk she had seen this morning. _Oh god. _

Rachel and Kurt made their way through the door being held out for them, all the while looking back at their friend with bemusement. Santana, eventually the function returning to her legs, followed them, throwing a polite smile in the direction of the blonde and muttering a quiet_ hey. _

_Hey. Was that the best she could do? She had stood there like an idiot for god knows how long, speechless and gaping at Quinn's new, and probably now very scared, roommate, and the best she could do was hey. Oh dear god Lopez._

"Don't worry about Santana, she's just like that. You'll soon get used to her delightful manners." Quinn's voice broke the awkward silence as she entered the living room, three glasses of wine in hand. "Santana, this is Brittany Pierce. Brittany, Santana Lopez. You guys might remember each other from Lima about a million years ago, back when S was actually a nice person." She shot a playful glare towards Quinn as she and Brittany were each handed a glass of red wine. After a large gulp, she decided to brave another look at the blonde in front of her. Rachel was right, she _was _really pretty. In fact, she was beautiful. Santana took her all in. Her hair was down this time, flowing in soft waves over her shoulders. She was wearing a cute blue top, with three or four buttons undone to reveal just enough cleavage, causing Santana's breath to hitch again in her throat. She hoped the blonde hadn't noticed. Black jeans were covering toned legs which seemed to go on for ever and, realising she had probably been staring too long again, the Latina took another sip of her drink before looking up to meet those eyes.

She was about to feel her cheeks heat with embarrassment, but when she looked up at the blonde in front of her, she saw her blue eyes weren't fixed on her own this time, but rather on somewhere a little south of her face. Smirking to herself and thanking god that she'd chosen this shirt to wear, Santana felt she had regained a bit of control and reached out a hand to the girl in front of her. Her blue eyes shot up from their place on Santana's chest, and her pale cheeks flushed pink.

"Hey Brittany." _Brittany. Brittany. Why was that so familiar?_

"Hi San." She replied bashfully, an adorable smile lighting up her face.

"Oh my god, _Britt." _Santana gasped, realisation flooding over her. It was _Brittany. _Brittany who lived across the street from her when she was like, what, five? Six? She remembered this one summer how she, Quinn and Brittany had been inseparable. _This is so weird. _She's so… _grown up._

"So you guys _do_ remember each other?" Quinn chimed in, jerking the two girls from their similar thoughts. They both turned to see the others watching them with amused expressions.

"Of course." Said Brittany, in a very matter-of-fact sort of way Santana thought was adorable. "We were practically next door neighbours! She hasn't changed at all Quinn!"

Ignoring Quinn's scoff at this remark, Santana took another sip of wine. It made so much sense now. Why she had recognised Brittany, why those eyes seemed so familiar, why her heart raced when she… well, maybe not all of it made sense, but still. She turned to face her childhood friend who was looking at her intently, her head cocked to one side and a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. A feeling of warmth rushed over Santana – not the kind of intense heat that had covered her body when she'd seen her at the studio – but the kind of feeling that made her heart flutter and her stomach twinge. Whatever it was, she liked it.

**…**

The five of them were now sat around Quinn's dining table, their finished plates sitting in front of them and various empty wine bottles littering the surface. Santana's eyes were fixed on Brittany, who sat opposite her. The blonde was telling a story, an impossibly large grin was stretched across her face and her hands were waving in front of her dramatically as she was explaining something to her captivated audience. Regular cries of laughter erupted from the group as Brittany told a funny story about her cat, Lord Tubbington, and Santana couldn't help but just stare. This girl was amazing. Every now and again, Santana caught glimpses of the little girl who used to rush over to her house after school and ask if San could come out to play. In some ways, she hadn't changed at all: that infectious smile, the one that was tugging at her lips right now, that mischievous little giggle which kept escaping from her mouth at intervals throughout her story, and those eyes, she could never have forgotten them. And she was sure she would never again.

Every couple of minutes, Brittany would glance over at Santana, her blue eyes flickering onto her own and lingering for just a moment before pulling away. And Santana was sure that each time she did, she noticed her the corner of the blonde's mouth lift ever so slightly upwards into a small smirk. So Santana was just watching her, waiting for each time she glanced her way. She was too captivated by the blonde to look away, and she was enjoying the silent connection which seemed to be going on between them.

Everyone seemed to be taken by Brittany. Not in quite the same way as Santana obviously, but Rachel and Kurt were both very approving of Quinn's choice of roommate. Rachel had naturally bombarded her with questions as soon as they sat down to eat, and Brittany had happily answered them all, giving adorable responses which couldn't help but make Santana smile. For example, when Rachel had questioned whether or not Brittany smoked (_way to be weird, Berry)_ I don't think she'd quite expected to hear about how Lord Tubbington had tried and failed many times to kick the habit himself.

So it turns out Brittany had lived in Lima until junior high when her mum had got a fancy new job in the city – something to do with banking, or finance or whatever – and they moved out here. Her parents are still friends with the Fabrays, so when they mentioned that Quinn was looking for a roommate, Brittany's parents suggested they meet.

"And as soon as we saw each other it was just like old times so I said she _had _to move in right away!" Quinn sang, beaming across the table. "And I just knew she'd be thrilled to see Santana, seeing as those two were practically joined at the hip once upon a time." Santana and Brittany both blushed.

"And why was it that you were in need of an apartment, Brittany?" Rachel asked, taking a sip of sparkling water. Brittany shuffled in her seat, suddenly looking very uncomfortable.

"Oh. I… um, well…" The blonde stammered, her eyes glued down to her hands which were fidgeting in her lap. Santana, seeing that she clearly didn't want to talk about this, jumped in and changed the subject.

"Hey, Brittany, you're at college, right?" The named blonde looked up at the Latina, the small frown on her face turning slowly up into a grateful smile.

"Um, yeah I've just enrolled at NYADA." She responded shyly. Barely had the words left her mouth and Rachel practically jumped out of her seat grabbing excitedly at Kurt who was sitting next to her clapping happily.

"We're there TOO!" She squealed. "This is so unbelievably exciting! How did I not know this? We might have classes together, we can meet up for lunch, we totally should…"

Santana stopped listening to Rachel's blabbering when she felt a light tap at her foot under the table. All ready to give Quinn, who was sitting to her left, a piece of her mind for kicking her, she looked up to see a different blonde staring up at her expectantly.

"You're at NYADA too, right?" Brittany asked quietly so as the others couldn't hear. Santana couldn't help but smile at the adorable, hopeful look on the blonde's face. She nodded, before feeling her cheeks heat up when she realised _how_ Brittany must know that she goes to NYADA. Santana had almost forgotten about their awkward encounter at the studio. _Fuck. Let's hope she hasn't put two and two together. _Yet by the smirk appearing on the blonde's face she _totally _has. _Great._

Wanting to crawl under the table and die from embarrassment, but realising that probably wasn't appropriate, Santana stood up quickly, much to the surprise of everyone at the table. She needed some air or something.

"More wine." She announced, and, grabbing a few of the empty bottles from the table, she headed towards the kitchen. It wasn't until she got up that she realised how tipsy she was feeling. Setting the bottles down, the dark haired girl stood there for a second, hands palm down on the counter, trying to compose herself.

_Why was she being so weird? Okay, so she had had a bit of an awkward moment with Brittany earlier, who she didn't realise at the time actually was Brittany, or Quinn's new roommate for that matter, or that she'd be seeing her again at dinner, or – okay, she needed to slow down. Deep breaths. Deep. Breaths. So Brittany's pretty? Like really pretty. And has an amazing body. But it's wasn't the first time Santana had found a girl attractive, so why was this so different? Why-_

"San?" Santana jumped, nearly knocking one of the bottles which she'd just brought in onto the floor. Brittany was leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed and her brow furrowed in confusion.

"J-Jesus, Brittany, you scared the shit out of me." Santana managed to stammer out, her hand held at her chest whilst she tried to recover.

"Sorry," the other girl responded quietly. "Are ok you San?" She wasn't sure if it was the way the blonde kept using such an affectionate nickname, or if it was the adorable look of concern on her face, that made Santana's heart flutter, but either way, she couldn't help but smile.

"It's okay, I'm fine, Britt." She assured, smiling at her own use of the nickname _Britt. _"Just thinking."

"'Bout what?" Brittany asked cheerfully, her grin returning as she skipped over to the tanned girl.

"You, actually." Santana let out before she could stop herself, or the flirtatious smile that had found its way to her lips. But before she was able to stutter an apology, she saw her teasing smile mirrored on the blonde who was now only a few feet from her.

"Oh, _really?" _Brittany asked playfully. Santana felt herself nod as the blonde moved further towards her. "Good, 'cause… I've been thinking a lot about you too. Since this morning." She whispered as she took a step closer. It was all Santana could do to look back at her. Their eyes were, once again, fixed on each other's, blue staring into brown, and Santana could feel her breathing getting quicker and her stomach tightening. She felt herself getting hot and couldn't really think straight. Before she knew what was happening, she felt herself pulled into a tight hug. _Wait, what?_

"I missed you, San." Brittany said softly into Santana's shoulder, as the Latina smiled, and let out the breath she'd been unconsciously holding.

**…**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Santana knew she should probably break away from this hug right about now. Firstly, because it had now gone on for longer than a normal hug between two friends should – in fact, she was sure this was the longest hug any two friends had shared, _ever_ – and secondly, because if Brittany knew the kind of thoughts that had been going through her mind for the past few minutes, she's sure the blonde would have pulled away too. Probably in shock or disgust. But she just couldn't bring herself to. Maybe it was the way Brittany's arms were looped around Santana's neck so tightly, as if she never wanted to let go, or how her own arms fit so perfectly around the blonde's waist. Maybe it was the way Brittany had nuzzled into her shoulder, or the way Santana's whole body warmed each time she felt the blonde's breath on her bare skin there. Whatever it was, it made her feel warm and happy, and she sure as hell didn't want to let go.

A sound coming from the kitchen door jolted Santana from her haze. She shot her eyes open to see Quinn in the doorway, a few dishes in her hands, and a smirk across her face. _Now, Fabray? Seriously?_

"Aw, you guys." She cooed. _Fucking Quinn. Great timing as always. _At this, Brittany pulled her hands away from their place on Santana's neck, took a step back and turned to face the other blonde who had just entered the kitchen. The darker girl immediately missed the feeling of Brittany's skin on her own. The skin on skin contact had caused her to think about all the places she wanted Brittany's hands, and all the ways she wanted her to touch her, and the ways Santana wanted to-

"Earth to Santana!" The Latina turned to face Quinn at the mention of her name, her cheeks flushing at the inappropriate visions that had been flashing through her mind a moment ago. _Shit. _She hoped it wasn't obvious. "What happened to getting more wine? I think Rachel's about to suggest karaoke, so I need to be a hell of a lot more drunk if that happens."

"Oh, yeah." She managed to get out whilst trying to ignore the shade of crimson she was sure was now spreading across her face. _Get it together, Lopez._ "I was just taking five. It's best to deal with Berry and Teen Gay in there in small doses. I think Britt here was having the same idea." She said, shooting a wink towards said blonde, who was now leaning against the counter opposite her. Brittany responded with a cute little smile, before skipping towards the door.

"Be nice, Santana." Brittany ordered playfully as she made her way past Quinn to leave the room. "But, for the love of god, _please, _bring some more wine out soon." With a smirk aimed at Santana, she disappeared back into the living room to join the others. Making her way to the fridge to seek out more alcohol, Santana sighed happily, a goofy grin plastered onto her face.

"What's with _you?" _Quinn asked with a snigger, all the while inspecting the darker girl as she reached into the fridge and pulled out another bottle of red.

"What?" Santana responded in her most casual tone, turning to face her friend with her best innocent look.

"Nothing," Quinn said slowly, still studying the Latina's face. "It's cute." Ignoring the glare from Santana, she pulled herself up to sit on the counter, dangling her legs in front of her. "Isn't it great having Brittany back? She's so sweet, hasn't changed a bit. I can remember it like it was yesterday, us all hanging out after school, sleepovers at each other's houses, going to our ballet classes together. We had so much fun. _You guys_ were inseparable, it was so cute."

"Alright, Fabray, enough with the nostalgia. Yes, it's awesome to see Britt again, I mean, it's been what, like ten years? But I'm just trying to work out why you didn't bother to tell me it was her you were fucking well living with. Took me a _little _by surprise, I ain't gonna lie." Santana snapped, a little irritated by the devious smirk now stretching across her friend's lips.

"I _could _have told you S. But it was so much more fun seeing you panic and freak out like you did."

"I did _not _freak out!" She protested. "I was just surprised that's all." She said with a shrug, trying her best to appear unfazed.

"Oh, you _so _did. It was hilarious. And I'd forgotten about the _Brittany smile."_ Quinn continued, eyeing her friend, amused at how easily she was able to wind the girl up.

"The _what?"_ Santana demanded, trying to decide if she was more pissed off or embarrassed.

"You _know,_ the _Brittany smile. _That stupid grin you get on your face when you're around her." Santana stood there gaping, horrified by this revelation. "Oh come on, it was exactly the same when we were little. That girl could have asked you to jump off a cliff and you would have done it, no questions asked."

Seeing the chuckle trying to escape its way from Quinn's lips, Santana huffed and strutted towards the door, a bottle of wine held in each hand. "Whatever Q, memory lane's closed for today." Truth is, she _did _remember all those things – the sleepovers where the three of them would stay up for what felt like all night chatting, exchanging stories and secrets, those long summer afternoons spent down by the lake in Lima, those ballet classes Santana had loved so much before she was made to quit. She _loved _those memories. But with all those perfect memories came not so perfect memories – the shouting matches between her parents that would wake her up at night, that expression on her mum's face, a mixture of exhaustion and sadness which she got so accustomed to, and the picture burnt into her mind of her dad's suitcases by the front door. So no matter how much she wanted to think about back then, to reminisce and laugh about the memories they all shared, she _couldn't._ She wasn't going to. It was too hard.

**…**

A few moments later and Santana's bad mood had vanished. She couldn't help it, Brittany's smile was infectious. When she had returned from the kitchen, she saw the others had moved over to the sofas, where Kurt and Rachel were sitting next to each other, chatting excitedly about something. She turned to see Brittany on the other couch. She just looked at her for a moment and held her breath; she looked beautiful. Her blonde hair was draped over one shoulder, her brows were scrunched up adorably and her teeth were biting down on her bottom lip, obviously deep in thought.

Feeling the Latina's presence, the blonde looked up, her blue eyes immediately finding Santana's own. Seeing the corners of the girl's mouth curling up into a coy smile, Santana couldn't help but smile herself. It was probably the _stupid grin_ Quinn had just been teasing her about, but she didn't care. She felt all her bad feelings just sort of melt away and, when she watched Brittany pat the space next to her on the sofa, she felt her smile widen even more. Sitting down next to her, she felt her friend shuffle ever so slightly closer. It was almost nothing, barely even noticeable, but it was enough to make Santana's stomach tighten again.

"Hi." The blonde whispered, finding her again with her piercing gaze.

"Hey." Santana returned with a small smile, topping up Brittany's wine glass before refilling her own as well. As she was just about to get lost in those blue, blue eyes again, Quinn came in from the kitchen. Grabbing the bottle from the dark girl's hand and, that smirk returning to her face, she sat down on the other side of Brittany and poured herself another glass of wine.

Trying to shake off Quinn's knowing look aimed in her direction, Santana took a gulp, feeling the red liquid run easily down her throat.

"So, Berry. Tomorrow night. Still game?" She asked in an attempt to direct attention away from herself.

"Oh, yes!" Rachel shrieked. "I can't wait. I'm just so excited to get my performance done and finally let my hair down!" Santana rolled her eyes at her friend. _Lame. _She felt Brittany shuffle beside her on the couch and her breath hitched when a pale thigh brushed ever so slightly against her own.

"Britt should totally come too." _Wait, was that her who just said that? Was her mouth just acting of its own accord these days or what? Way to sound forward Lopez. _Before she could say anything to try and hide the very obvious eagerness to her voice, or divert the various looks of amusement coming from Kurt and Quinn, Rachel beat her to it.

"Oh, Brittany of _course _you must come! You see, it's my midterm showcase performance tomorrow, and Santana has kindly organised a night out to celebrate! It'll be wonderful, and you have to join us. I won't take no for an answer."

"I'd love to." Brittany replied with a huge grin. Santana managed to swallow a squeal when she felt a cool hand squeeze her thigh gently. She whipped her head to the side to see Brittany smiling at her, and mouth a _thank you. _Santana returned the smile and then awkwardly cleared her throat, realising everyone was looking at her and she should probably say something.

"Yeah, uh… We're going to Lola's. It's just round the corner from ours, it's pretty cool actually." The hand didn't move from her thigh.

"Our friend Puck's the manager there so we're pretty much guaranteed free drinks all night." Quinn added matter-of-factly.

"Awesome." Brittany replied, looking genuinely excited. "I know Lola's. I did grow up in this city remember?" She teased, her eyes still on the Latina who was blushing.

"Oh, ha yeah sorry. I keep forgetting you're actually a home-grown, tough New Yorker." She returned playfully, putting on her best Brooklyn accent. Everyone laughed, and Brittany gently squeezed Santana's thigh a second time. She felt her entire body heat up and a tug of arousal in her stomach. _Shit. This was going to be a problem. _

"I'm kidding, Santana. I actually only know that place because I know a guy who works there. Sam." _Sam? Who the fuck's Sam?_

"Oh, we know Sam!" Quinn exclaimed. _Okay, someone was going to need to explain who the hell Sam was. _

"Yeah, I've known him forever. We went to high school together." Brittany explained. "He's the sweetest. I think he's working tomorrow night actually, so I'm sure we'll see him." She wasn't sure why, she wasn't even sure who this guy was, but she didn't like him. Hearing the way Brittany talked about him, seeing the way her eyes lit up when she said his name, and the fact she could no longer feel her hand on her thigh. _Wait, was she jealous?_

"Santana, you know Sam." Kurt said, pulling her from her thoughts. "Floppy blonde hair, gorgeous eyes, impossibly good looking," _Right that's it. She definitely didn't like him._ "Huge smile?"

"Oh, you mean _Trouty Mouth_?" She giggled, realising they were in fact talking about the annoying, cute-in-a-preppy-sort-of way barman that would hit on her and Quinn whenever they went to Lola's. The others joined in with her laughter, except Brittany, who sat there, an adorable sort of confused smile on her lips.

"To Quinn's new roommate!" Kurt announced, holding up his wine glass for a toast. The others quickly followed suit.

"To Quinn's _awesome _new roommate." Santana chimed in, shooting a wink in the direction of the blonde.

**…**

Santana flopped down onto her bed. She was exhausted, partly from a long evening of chatting and reminiscing, but mostly from all the thoughts that had been rushing around her head since they had left Quinn's apartment. She had been quiet for the entire journey home, all be it only 15 minutes or so, replaying the evening's events.

When Rachel had decided it was late enough and that they should really go home in order for her to get some sleep before her big showcase, Santana couldn't help but notice the flicker of disappointment that had appeared briefly across Brittany's face. She also couldn't shake the memory of how she had pulled her in for another tight hug, and had lingered just that little bit longer than everyone else. She kept replaying in her mind the way Brittany's voice had sounded when she had told Santana she'd she her tomorrow, lower than usual, almost husky, and accompanied by a barely there smirk.

She had probably imagined all of it. To Brittany, and to everyone else, all the stolen glances and lingering touches were probably nothing, completely normal behaviour for two old friends, and it was just Santana being crazy, or light-headed from too much wine. But she couldn't help but feel that it was so much more than that, and every time she looked into those blue eyes she was sure Brittany could feel it too.

But what was _it? _Santana had felt that _attraction_ before, that familiar tug of arousal in her stomach and that pool of heat between her legs. _Please, she was the queen of one-night-stands, of random hook ups filled with passion and lust. _She knew that feeling of want, usually fueled by alcohol, when she laid eyes on a cute guy or even a hot girl across a bar. And Brittany was _hot._ But it was the intensity of the feelings she felt around Brittany which confused her. Even the first time she saw her in the studio she couldn't _breathe_, she couldn't _think _or _speak._ That had never happened before. She was usually so cool about this kind of thing, so _controlled._ But this… she couldn't figure it out. It scared her and excited her at the same time. It… _Ugh. This is why she doesn't do feelings._

**…**

Santana yawned and rolled over to glance at her clock. _11.03. _Oh, howshe loved Saturdays. She smiled to herself and snuggled back into her covers for a few more minutes, before finally throwing back the duvet and hopping out of bed. After a small victory dance celebrating her lack of headache, despite the amount of red wine consumed the previous night, Santana pulled on a hoodie and made her way into the kitchen. She was immediately hit by the smell of bacon and looked up to see Kurt at the stove, humming cheerfully to himself.

"I would _love_ some bacon, thanks Lady Lips." Santana remarked, drawing his attention away from the stove and towards herself.

"I'm sure you would." Kurt deadpanned, returning his concentration to the frying pan. "Shame you're not getting any."

"Oh come on, Hummel. Help a girl out here. Aunty Tana's in a good mood this morning and has decided not to get her bitch on_."_ She shot him a knowing look as he turned round questioningly. "_Yet."_

"Okay, okay," He gave in. "But only because I don't want to endure the wrath of a hungry Santana Lopez." He smirked and placed a bacon sandwich in front of her.

"Amazing. Thank you, Kurt, I owe you." She gushed, eyes wide, and practically drooling over the plate in front of her.

"Well. In that case…" He said, spinning on his heels, a mischievous grin tugging at his lips. Santana immediately regretted her choice of words and froze, turning to her roommate and eyeing him suspiciously. "You can owe me by talking to me about Brittany." Her heart leapt at her name.

"What in the hell are you on about, Hummel?" She asked with a mouthful of sandwich, trying her best to control her racing heart. _Could he tell? Was it that obvious that she couldn't stop thinking about her?_

"Oh, I just want you to tell me about her." Kurt said casually, yet making no attempt at hiding the annoying smirk on his face.

_Okay, she just needs to act normal, like everything's fine, like she couldn't possibly know what he was talking about._

"Well, Lady Hummel," She began, finishing her mouthful and turning to face her friend. "She's Quinn's new roommate," she said slowly, dragging each word out as if she was speaking to someone who barely understood English. "You met her last night, she goes to NYADA. You know, that kinda large place we all go to and take classes at? She's-"

"Ha-ha very funny." He deadpanned. "I know all _that_, that's not what I meant. I was just wondering why you seem to act like an obsessed teenager when you're around her. You get all nervous and fidgety, and that big goofy grin, well-"

"I have absolutely no idea what you're blabbering about Lady Boy." She said, refusing to meet his gaze as she stood up and poured herself a cup of coffee. Sitting back down, she tried to act casual, grabbing the New York Times and flicking the page over. She looked up to see Kurt eyeing her questioningly. _Shit. What was she doing? He knows she never reads the paper._

"And I mean, Quinn told us about the _Brittany smile _and-"

"Right, I'm done here." Santana announced, leaping off her stool, grabbing her coffee (and the newspaper, just for good measure) and began storming off to her room. _Fucking Fabray and her fucking big mouth._

Once in her room, she launched herself back onto her double bed, only to land on something hard. _Ow. Fuck that hurt._ She fumbled for the offending object, and pulled her cell phone out from underneath her. A message from a number she didn't recognise was flashing at her.

_Hey Santana. I hope it's ok I got ur number from Quinn. She's out watching Rachel's showcase thingy and I'm kinda bored so just thought I'd see if u wanted to go get coffee. If u want. Cos I'm bored. Anyway text me. Oh it's Brittany by the way J_

Santana just stared at the screen for a few seconds. Brittany had just texted her. _Brittany _had just texted _her._ And it was probably the most freaking cute text Santana had ever read. And Brittany wants to see her. Today. _Shit. What should she do?_ On the one hand, Santana couldn't stop thinking about her, and all she had wanted to do since saying goodbye to her last night was see her this was the other hand, every time she looked into those blue eyes she was rendered completely speechless and immobile. _Not _ideal_._ Before she could finish her internal debate however, her hands had decided for her and she was quickly tapping out a reply.

_Brittany! So glad u texted I was literally just thinking about you- _

Wait. No. She needed to keep it cool. _Jesus what was wrong with her?_

_Hey Britt. So bored too, coffee sounds great. Starbucks in half an hour? – Santana _

Perfect – Short, causal, friendly. Content with her effort she skipped to the bathroom for a shower, a large smile spreading across her face.

**…**

Forty minutes later Santana was rounding the corner to the café, her stomach fluttering with nerves and excitement. _Kurt was fucking right. She was just like an obsessed teenager. She was twenty-one for fuck's sake, she had to get a grip. _Collecting herself, and determined to act like a normal human being, she pushed open the door and saw the blonde sitting at a table in the far corner. Brittany looked up and smiled brightly as the door chimed. Santana walked towards where her friend was sitting, returning her smile as she did so. _See, she could do this. She was just having a casual coffee with an old friend. An old friend who just happened to be really awesome. And adorable. And really hot. And- shit. _

"Hi." Brittany said softly, still smiling a big, genuine smile.

"Hey." Santana replied, taking a seat opposite her. The two girls just looked at each other for a few moments, grinning. Santana looked her friend over. She had her hair pulled up into a messy bun, she was wearing ripped blue jeans and a simple white tee, yet she still looked amazing. "Sorry I'm late. Lady Boy was taking forever in the bathroom. God knows what he puts in that hair of his." She rolled her eyes playfully, and smiled at the adorable giggle she received from the blonde in front of her. The truth is, she was late because she was stressing about what to wear. She had wanted to look casual, because, after all, this was just a coffee. But she still wanted to look _nice. _Seeing Brittany's chilled outfit, she was now happy with the jeans and tank top she had pulled out of her wardrobe.

"No worries, San." Again she smiled at the endearing nickname. "Although I did think I was being stood up for a second there." Brittany joked, winking at the girl opposite her who was now blushing slightly. "So, how come you're not at Rachel's showcase thingy?" She asked, smirking at the reaction she had gotten.

"Well, uh," Santana started, turning to get the attention of the waitress in an attempt to hide her pink cheeks. "Remember what I said about small doses, Britt." She said, turning back and leaning in towards the blonde. "Two and a half hours of Berry and her equally annoying classmates belting out an endless set list of Journey songs isn't something I plan on putting myself through again anytime soon." Brittany giggled again. A giggle that made Santana's heart flutter.

"She can't be _that _bad." She said through stifled laughter and Santana couldn't help but think how freaking cute she was right now.

"Nah, Berry's actually pretty damn good." She explained. "But don't you _dare_ tell her I said so." The Latina added hastily, pointing a finger at Brittany in a mock warning. And there was that giggle again. Santana loved that sound. But more than that, she loved that _she _was the cause of that sound.

After the waitress came over and the girls ordered their lattes, Santana asked if Brittany was looking forward to going to Lola's later.

"Yes!" The blonde squealed, and then proceeded to blush at her eagerness. "Ha, sorry, I'm just really excited to go out with you guys." She hastened, stealing a glance at Santana's eyes before pulling away again. "And I've texted Sam and he's definitely going to be there. He says he'll join us after his shift, so that'll be cool."

Santana tried desperately to ignore the wave of jealousy – _she was sure it was jealousy now – _that ran through her body at hearing his name again.

"Oh, yeah?" She asked, trying her best to sound disinterested. _For fuck's sake, Brittany isn't hers to feel possessive over. She might not even be dating Sam for all she knows. Get it together Lopez. _"So you're pretty tight with Trouty Mouth?"

"Yeah, I mean, I've known him for ages. We're pretty close, I guess, and-_ wait, _why do you call him that?" The blonde asked with an adorable little pout.

"Britt, come _on. _Have you not seen the size of those lips? You must have noticed. They're _huge_. I mean, _ginormous._ I could set sail on one of those babies." At this Brittany tossed her head back and let out such a beautiful, amazing laugh, that Santana wished she could go back in time and retell the joke, just so she could hear it again. But before she could come up with a way of hearing that laugh again, the waitress came over with their coffee. Grabbing both mugs and handing one to Brittany, Santana was just about to crack another joke about _Trouty Mouth _or _Froggy Lips _when she realised the waitress was still just stood there. Santana looked up to see the girl staring stupidly back at her with a goofy grin –_ probably exactly the same way she'd just been staring at Brittany, and possibly a little something like the 'Brittany smile' Quinn had so kindly informed her about._

"Uh, thanks." Santana said awkwardly, turning back to face her friend and rolling her eyes before the waitress eventually left them alone. _Sure, the girl was cute – blonde, nice smile. But she was only really thinking about one person right now, and that blonde was sat right in front of her. Smirking. Wait – why was she smirking?_

"What?" Santana questioned, throwing a hand up to her face for fear of finding a dollop of whipped cream there, or something equally embarrassing. "Why are you staring at me all weird?"

"No, no, it's nothing." Brittany responded, chuckling as she reached forward and brought Santana's hand away from her flushed face. She caught her breath as Brittany's hand didn't let go of her own. "I was just laughing because that girl was about as subtle as a fire engine." Santana just looked quizzically at the blonde in front of her and took sip of her coffee, unable to speak due to the current _hand holding _situation. "She was _totally _checking you out."

Santana almost choked on her latte. It wasn't that what she said was particularly _scandalous _or whatever, it's just that she didn't expect to hear it coming from Brittany. Sweet, adorable Brittany. The blonde giggled at Santana's shocked expression and squeezed her hand tight. "Don't worry San, she was totally cute." Santana thought her chest was going to explode. Firstly, because the way Brittany had just tightened her hand around her own sent a heat rushing through her entire body, and secondly, because of the meaning behind what Brittany had just said. _Was Brittany into girls? _She brought her gaze down to look at their hands, intertwined in each other's and then back up to Brittany. Blue eyes were staring back at her, flickering between her own.

"San?" _Shit. She must have spaced out again._

"Uh, yeah?" They continued to hold each other's gaze. Brittany's eyes were searching her own again, as if looking for the right words to say. Santana could hear her heart racing in her chest.

"Yesterday. At NYADA. When you-"

"Is there anything else I can get you guys?" The waitress reappeared, cutting Brittany off. She may have said _guys_, but she was definitely just staring at Santana again. The Latina could see another smirk tugging at Brittany's lips, and she felt her hand let go of hers. She immediately missed the warm feeling.

Santana turned to glare at the waitress who had been the cause of her loss of contact with Brittany. "No, just the bill."

"Here you go!" She handed Santana the receipt in a second, ignoring the death stare she was being given and returning it with a large smile, before disappearing again. The Latina looked back at Brittany who was staring at the piece of paper she was now holding, a mixture of surprise and amusement spreading across her face. She reverted her gaze to her hands, where the word _Sophie_ was scrawled in pink writing, followed by a number._ Ha. _She wasn't sure whether to be pleased with herself or embarrassed, but hearing the blonde start chuckling left her no choice but to join in. The two girls sat there trying to stifle the giggles which were escaping their mouths. Brittany's laugh was just so infectious, Santana couldn't help it. After all, it _was_ pretty funny. Here she was, sitting across from the girl that had been consuming her thoughts for the past two days, getting lost in her blue eyes, holding her hand, and yet the waitress had been the one to give Santana her number. _The waitress. Typical._

"Nice work, Santana!" Brittany teased, when their laughing had finally subsided.

"Well, what can I say?" Santana replied playfully. "I'm one hot bitch."

"Totally." _Oh my god. _Brittany's blue eyes once again found her own. _Don't read anything into that, Lopez. That was a completely friendly, platonic, asexual comment. Get it together. _

"I… Uh, have to go." _Or not. Whatever. _"You know, cos Berry's gonna be back from her showcase any moment and if no one's there to welcome her and shower her with compliments all hell's gonna break loose." She said with an eye roll and Brittany giggled. _Good save._

"Okay." The blonde replied, standing up from her seat and grabbing her purse. "Lord Tubbington's probably wondering where I am anyway." _This girl is too cute. _They walked together towards the door, sniggering when the waitress shot one last smile in their direction, and stepped out onto the street.

"This was so nice, San." Brittany admitted quietly and smiled at her friend, who returned it warmly.

"Totally. I'll see you later Britt-Britt."

"Yes you will." She said with a smirk before spinning on her heels to walk away. She had barely taken two steps when she turned back to face Santana. "By the way, I should warn you."

"Yeah?"

"When I drink, I tend to… Well, I'm kind of… a stripper-type drunk, if you get me." And with that, she smirked again, winked at Santana and disappeared around the corner.

_Oh shit. This could definitely be a problem._

**…**


	5. Chapter 5

Hey everyone! Here's another chapter. I think you'll enjoy this one ;) I've started the next one too which you'll _definitely _enjoy! Ha so keep the reviews coming, love reading them, so... let me know what you think! x

Chapter 5:

It was now eight o'clock. Santana was standing in her underwear staring at the array of clothes strewn across her bed, the same position she'd been in for the past five minutes.

She had barely been able to relax all afternoon. After she got back from her coffee with Brittany, she had tried to chill out and watch TV, but all she could think about was the blonde. She'd gone back to her room, grabbed her iPod, and tried to listen to some music, but the only thing she could hear was that perfect little giggle. And when she was in the shower, letting the warm water run over her body, hoping it would wash away with it all her confusing thoughts, all Santana could think about was how Brittany's hands would feel all over her body. Her _naked _body. And then all she could think about was _Brittany's_ naked body, and how much she wanted to run _her_ hands all over it. And - _Fuck._

So now here she was, in her underwear, trying to figure out what to wear, and the only thing she could think about was the last thing Brittany had said to her - that she was a stripper drunk. A _stripper _drunk. Meaning that she tended to take her clothes off when she drank, and she was going to be drinking _tonight. This could definitely be a problem._ It was one thing trying to pretend this was nothing when all she was doing was imagining Brittany without clothes on, but actually _seeing _it? Santana was sure she wouldn't be able to control herself, especially if there was going to be alcohol involved. Everyone knew what Santana was like when she drank, it was no secret. Usually her friends would find her pinned up against a wall, her legs wrapped around some guy's waist, or in the bathroom, getting her mack on with some drunk and curious girl. It was normal to Kurt and Rachel if she didn't come home after a night out, or if they heard her sneaking in at four in the morning. _But so what? She liked sex. _She didn't really care who it was with, or whether it was a guy or a girl, or even if she remembered it the next morning. It was just _physical._ That's what she needed to get her mind off Brittany – sex. Hot, drunk, meaningless _sex. Why had she not thought of that?_

_Okay, she needed to look hot tonight. Like really hot._ She needed to go home with someone, or at least as far as the restroom in the bar – _what? She didn't say it was going to be classy – _and so she needed to be on her best game. The thought also brushed through her mind that she wanted to look good for Brittany. Santana was sick of feeling like a pathetic school girl around her, and she decided tonight it was her turn to make _Brittany _squirm. Just a little bit. Or a lot. She had noticed the way the blonde had taken her hand in hers earlier, rubbing small circles in her palm with her index finger. She had glimpsed what had looked a little like jealously flash across her blue eyes when the waitress had given Santana her number. And she hadn't forgotten the smirk directed her way as the blonde turned to go home, knowing she was leaving Santana with various images of _Stripper Brittany _in her mind. Maybe she had completely imagined all of that, maybe she had misread all the signals, fuck, maybe Brittany wasn't even into girls – Santana wasn't even sure if she was herself – but if she hadn't, if Brittany was feeling all the same things Santana was, she was sure as hell going to drive her crazy tonight. And she couldn't wait.

With that thought, she grabbed her tightest, sluttiest dress from the heap of clothes on her bed and lifted her legs one by one to step into it. Okay it wasn't _that _slutty – it was still respectable – but it definitely looked hot. Santana smiled smugly at her reflection when she turned around to face the long mirror by her wardrobe. The dress was short, and her toned legs looked amazing as she stepped into a pair of her favourite heels. The black material hugged every curve on the Latina's body and the deep neckline highlighted her breasts perfectly. _Damn Lopez. _She may not have bagged herself a fancy Broadway audition like Rachel, or have an impressive internship at Vogue like Hummel, but she sure as hell knew how to work it.

**…**

An hour later, Santana, Kurt and Rachel were sitting at a booth in Lola's, a bottle of Champagne courtesy of Puckerman in front of them, waiting for the others to join them.

"To Rachel," Kurt announced flamboyantly, holding his glass up and gesturing for the girls to do the same. "Who blew everyone away her showcase today and who is without doubt going to be the next star shining bright on the Broadway stage. A household name, held in the utmost regard among the likes of Barbara Streisand and Liza Minnelli, an icon, a visionary, a-"

"Alright Lady Hummel," Santana cut him off, rolling her eyes at her friend. "I think we get the picture. Let's round this up so I can gets my drink on. To Berry." She finished, clinking her glass against the others' and knocking back a large gulp of Champagne. _That's better. _

"So when are Q. and Britt getting here?" Santana asked in her most casual voice. She shuffled in her seat, trying to avoid Kurt's knowing grin directed her way.

"Any minute!" Rachel beamed, taking a sip from her glass and scrunching up her nose as the bubbles hit her throat. Santana had to admit, she liked it when Rachel drank. Drunk Berry was much more bearable than sober Berry, and actually pretty entertaining. She remembered last Halloween, how Rachel had climbed up onto the bar, dragging the poor barman up with her, who she then proceeded to use as a pole for an extremely amusing 15 minute dance routine. _Hilarious. _

Santana took another mouthful of Champagne, and began to scan the bar which was filling up quickly, as it always did on a Saturday night. She was looking for a target; someone who was hot enough and drunk enough to help get Brittany out of her head. Just as she thought this however, her searching gaze landed on said blonde who had just stepped through the door with Quinn. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped. Her heart race picked up and she felt that familiar heat once again consume her body. _Holy fucking shit Brittany looked hot. _She kept her gaze fixed as she watched her and Quinn scan the room, looking for where there friends were sat, and suddenly felt blue eyes on hers. Rachel squealed opposite her and waved the two girls over, and she heard Kurt wolf whistle from his seat next to Rachel. Brittany's eyes stayed fixed on her own as the pair made their way towards the booth.

"Quinn!" Rachel shrieked, forcing Santana's eyes away from Brittany's, only for her to lower them and find that smirk twitching once again at the blonde's lips. "Brittany! You look amazing!" Rachel continued, and, wow, she _did _look amazing. Santana let her eyes trail down Brittany's body, following cascades of long, blonde hair which fell over her bare shoulders, lingering on her cleavage that was pushed up by her blue strapless top, over her tight, black skirt and down over those long, bare legs. She snapped them back up to the blonde's face, realising she'd been leering, and then remembered her game plan. _It's your turn to make her squirm, Lopez. _

"Hey." The Latina drew out, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "You've still got your clothes on then." She said in a low and quiet voice as the blonde squeezed into the booth next to her. Santana internally congratulated herself as she watched pink appear on her friend's cheeks.

"For now." Brittany teased. _She was definitely flirting._ "But careful, Champagne is my weakness." She whispered, leaning into the Latina, so that as she spoke, Santana could feel her warm breath brush against her neck. Her stomach tightened, and she crossed her legs in an attempt to ignore the burning heat that was beginning to gather between her thighs. As she did so, she felt Brittany's gaze drop down to her lap, before raking slowly up Santana's body, pausing on her chest before pulling away. The Latina smirked. _Brittany had just checked her out. It was so freaking obvious. And she was sure of it now, whether or not her friend was usually into girls or not, she was definitely into Santana at this moment. _

With her new-found confidence, Santana took the Champagne bottle from the ice bucket on the table, grabbed an empty glass and began pouring, all the while keeping her eyes on Brittany. She handed her friend the drink without a word, just a small smirk on her face, and watched those blue eyes twinkle with something a lot like mischief. _You've got this, Lopez._

"Hey Q." She said, tearing her eyes away from Brittany so as not to be _too _obvious. "Drink?"

"Sure, thanks." Quinn's eyes narrowed on the darker girl suspiciously. "Rach, you were fantastic today, congratulations." The five of them began to discuss Rachel's show, sipping on their drinks and making their way through the bottle in front of them. After about 20 minutes or so, Santana began to get bored with the conversation and could feel the slight buzz kicking in from the bubbly. She glanced to her left and eyed the glass in front of her blonde friend, which was at least her third and decidedly empty. _Excellent._

"As much fun as this _Berry-fest_ is, I'm gonna gets me another drink." The Latina announced, getting to her feet. "Britt, you coming?"

"Totally." Brittany smiled happily at the invitation, before standing up and following her friend towards the bar. Santana smirked as she felt the blonde's gaze fall to her ass, putting a little extra shimmy to her step for good measure.

"Oi, _Fuckerman._" A tall guy with a Mohawk spun around to face them from behind the bar. "Me and my girl Britt, here, would like a drink." A devilish grin stretched across his face as he not so subtly raked his eyes up and down the blonde standing next to her. _Gross. That was only ok when she did it._

"_Your _girl hey, Lopez?" He stepped towards them and leaned forward, resting his arms on the bar to get a closer look at Brittany, who blushed. "She's hot." The blonde smiled bashfully and turned to at Santana, who was glaring at Puck.

"Ew, gross. Please close your mouth, Puckerman, you're drooling." She snapped, clicking her fingers in an attempt to draw his eyes up from their fixed place on Brittany's cleavage. She suddenly felt very protective of her friend beside her. "Leave Britt-Britt alone. You're _definitely _not her type. Now run along and make us a drink." He sniggered, before turning his attention to Santana.

"So she's _your _type is she Lezpez?" His grin was even wider now, and if Santana wasn't completely frozen to the spot and unable to move, she would have lunged across the bar and gone all _Lima Heights _on his ass by now.

"What? Uh, n-no. Shut up, Puckerman." She stammered, her cheeks heating up with embarrassment. With that, he turned and disappeared into the back room. _Shit. Totally screwed. _Santana was used to nicknames like that from Puck, and they never really bothered her - out of all her friends, he probably knew the most about her _fluidity_, shall we say,when it came to her sexuality, and he was pretty cool with it. But what was _not _cool, was him pretty much outing her as a straight up (_excuse the pun_) lesbian in front of the girl she hadn't been able to stop thinking about for days – in front of Brittany, her _friend, _who she had known since she was like five and would play naked in her paddling pool, and share baths with and-

"San?" _Shit._ She whipped her head round to meet blue eyes that were staring at her again with that mischievous twinkle. "So… I'm not your type huh?" _What?_

"What?" Was all Santana could get out in a sort of half gasp half whisper. She waited for Brittany to speak again, but she didn't. The blonde just furrowed her brow slightly, tilted her head to the side and smiled teasingly. "I… Uh, no. I mean, you're…" _Yes you're totally my type. I literally can't stop thinking about you and I really want to fucking kiss you right now. In fact, I want to do more than fucking kiss you right now._

"San, I'm kidding." Brittany giggled, enjoying how nervous her friend had become. Santana let out a nervous chuckle. She caught her breath again when Brittany took a step towards her and leaned in close, just for a second, before whispering, "I totally hope I am your type though." _Holy shit. _

Before Santana had a chance to process what Brittany had just said, or even managed to work out if she had said anything at all because it was barely a whisper, or had time to notice the tug of arousal at her stomach, Puck had returned with their drinks.

"Here you go, ladies." He set two cups of bright pink liquid down on the counter. "Enjoy." He winked at Brittany before smirking at Santana and disappearing off to the end of the bar to serve another customer. _She was going to need something stronger. _

Standing on her tip toes and reaching over the bar, Santana pulled out a bottle of tequila from its usual space on the shelf. She did the same again, this time pulling her hand out with two small glasses, before pouring Brittany and herself a shot. Giggling at the look of bewilderment on Brittany's face, she handed her one of the glasses of clear liquid.

"Don't worry Britt," She assured her friend with a grin. "Puck doesn't mind. And besides, he owes me." _He sure as hell owed her after that dumbass move he just pulled. _The two girls pushed their glasses together and tossed back their shots. "Speaking of which, sorry about Puckerman," Santana continued, grimacing at the strong liquid running down her throat. "He can be a real douche sometimes. I can only apologise on behalf of my oaf of an ex-boyfriend."

At this, Brittany's eyebrows raised. "Ex-boyfriend?"

"Yeah, we used to go out."

"Oh." _Was that jealousy she could sense in Brittany's tone?_

"Back in high school, I mean. God, it feels like a million years ago now. It was mostly a sex thing to be honest, Britt, although fuck knows how I ever found that Mohawk look attractive." She rolled her eyes playfully, before smiling at the giggle now escaping the blonde's lips. Starting to feel the buzz from the shot they'd just taken, she grabbed her drink and leaned into her friend. "Come on, Britt-Britt, we better get back to those losers."

As they made their way back to the booth, Santana smiled as Brittany's hand found her own so as not to get separated in the crowd. The blonde's fingers interlaced with hers and she felt that warmth rush over her again. When they returned to their table, they found the others chatting and laughing happily.

"Santanaaa! Brittannyyy!" Rachel jumped up and flung an arm around each of them. _God, Berry was such a light weight. _"You guys are both so pretty. I think it's time for shots!" Santana and Brittany exchanged an amused look as they sat down, opposite each other this time, at the table. Santana immediately realised this was a mistake as the blonde was now directly in her eye line, and she could feel blue eyes burning into her.

"Great idea Rachel! I think we should take full advantage of the fact that our apartment is so close and no one has to drive tonight." Kurt announced, waving his hand to get the waiter's attention. She'd already had quite a bit of Champagne plus a tequila shot, and the vodka cranberry in her hands was going down very smoothly, so Santana was now _definitely _feeling the buzz.

"I'm in." The Latina said, followed quickly by eager nods from Brittany and Quinn.

"So," Quinn began, gathering the attention of everyone again. "Brittany and I were reminiscing earlier about that one summer a million years ago when we spent practically every day down by that lake in Lima. Do you remember, Santana?"

"Mm yeah."_ She did. _She remembered everything about that summer. She remembered how the three of them would prepare a huge picnic, lay out a rug and eat their feast sprawled across the grass, how they would go swimming in the lake, giggling and screaming as they splashed around. She remembered how they would lie under the warm sun, Brittany playing with her hair and stroking her finger soothingly up and down her arm. Santana hadn't thought about that summer in ages. She couldn't help the wistful smile which stretched at her lips, and, looking up to see Brittany with a similar expression, she wondered if she was thinking about the same thing.

"That summer was the best." Brittany chimed in, grinning an ear to ear smile. "We had so much fun! San, do your parents still have that tire swing in their back yard?" She asked excitedly. Santana didn't answer. The mention of her _parents_ had soured her blissful trip down memory lane. It was at the end of that summer that her dad had left. Just up and went, leaving her and her mum alone. She took a large gulp of her drink. Quinn, seeing her friend's reaction, jumped in.

"I'm pretty sure it was still there when we visited her mum last Christmas." She said to a confused looking Brittany beside her, squeezing her arm and giving her a look as if to say _don't worry about it._ The sudden tension around the table was forgotten about when a male voice broke through the silence.

"Can I get you guys anything? Oh, hey Britts!" At the affectionate nickname directed towards Brittany _not _coming from herself, Santana was jolted from her pity party and shot her eyes upwards. _Sam._

"Hey, Sam!" Brittany sang back, leaping to her feet and wrapping her arms around his neck. Santana watched, her fingers tightening around her cup as he enveloped the blonde in a large bear hug and lifted her off the ground. She squealed as he put her back down, before returning to her seat. Sam greeted the others at the table one by one, arriving at Santana last.

"Santana." He said, nodding his head and grinning in a way he probably thought was sexy.

"Trouty Mouth." She responded with a small smirk, exchanging a glance with Brittany, whose lips were also lifting into a small smile. "Some tequila shots please, Guppy Lips. And keep 'em coming. We're thirsty." With a goofy salute, and a wink in Brittany's direction, he disappeared again. _Fucking Sam. _As the others slipped back in conversation, Santana felt a buzzing in her purse. Opening it up and grabbing her phone, she froze when she saw the message flashing at her.

_I should probably warn u. Tequila shots are also my weakness… -Britt_

_Oh god. _Santana's breath hitched in her throat and she had to cross her legs again to control the pulsing she now felt between her thighs. _How did just one text from Brittany have that effect on her?_

Santana lifted her gaze cautiously to the blonde opposite her, only to find her deep in conversation with Quinn. _So that's how she was gonna play it huh? _She tapped out a reply and hit send, holding her breath as she watched Brittany's phone buzz across from her on the table.

_That's totally fine with me. We'd better just hope no one suggests body shots… -San_

Santana managed to stifle the laugh that tried to escape when she watched Brittany's eyes practically pop out of her head, and a pink blush appear at her cheeks. The Latina's gaze remained on her as she shuffled in her seat and kept her eyes on her lap, presumably typing out a reply. Santana's suspicions were confirmed by the buzzing in her hand and she glanced at her phone once more.

_Yeah, that could be dangerous… _

_Ps. You look amazing tonight -Britt _

Santana felt her heart flutter and her stomach tighten and she tried to control the wide smile stretching across her face as she looked up to the blonde. This time, she was met with a smirk. _Shit, she's good._

It was weird, Santana thought. She could remember so well that cute little girl she used to play with. They were so _close_, always laughing together and telling secrets, holding each other's hands and playing with each other's hair. She remembered how sad she'd been when Brittany had told her she was moving away, she was sure she had cried for days. And now here they were, ten years later, and she felt just as close to her. She could feel right now in this moment that same connection they had always shared as kids – she remembered how they would joke that they were telepathic and could read each other's minds. It was exactly the same, and it was different. She felt that same warmth when the blonde looked at her, but now it was accompanied by an intense heat and a thumping in her chest. Before she could wonder if Brittany could feel it too, Sam reappeared with a tray of shots.

"Here you go guys, on the house, courtesy of Noah Puckerman." The blonde boy announced cheerfully, setting the tray down on the table.

"Did I hear my name?" Puck appeared out of nowhere, a grin plastered to his face and squeezed in next to Santana.

"Noaaahh, we're doing shots, join usss!" Quinn exclaimed, slurring a little.

"Yes, you must." Kurt agreed. "We're celebrating Rachel's wonderful showcase performance!"

"Well, in that case…" He grabbed one of the glasses and lifted it up. "To my little Jewish princess!" He knocked back the shot in one gulp and leaned in close to Santana to whisper, "So, Lopez, you banging that blonde or what?" _Ugh, boys._

"Shut up, Puckerman." She hissed. "You are _not _in my good books after earlier."

"Chill, girl. I got your back, don't worry." He replied with an evil grin, before turning his attention back to the group. "Now, because this is a special occasion," He nodded towards Rachel who was giggling. "We are going to do this _Puckasaurus_ style." _What the hell was Puckasaurus style?_ "Body shots!" _Oh dear god. _Everyone around the table clapped excitedly at this fantastic idea, except Santana whose eyes shot up to Puck, and then to Brittany. She was looking just as surprised as Santana, eyes wide and cheeks flushed, but when she caught the blonde's eye, they both covered their mouths to stifle a giggle. _Things were about to get interesting._

"And I nominate…" Puck continued, eyeing up each person in the group, but Santana knew what was coming. "Newbie over here," He pointed to Brittany, who whined in protest. "Aaannd… Santana!" He whipped his head round to the Latina, who rolled her eyes. "_Seriously, _Puckerman? Why?" She wasn't sure how she felt about this idea. Okay, so the idea of running her tongue over Brittany's bare skin sent a jolt of pleasure through her body, but she wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of all her friends being there to watch. She stole a glance at Brittany, whose cheeks were even pinker now, and Santana could tell the blonde was fighting back a smile.

"Because, Lopez." Puck began, enjoying every second of this. "It'll be fun. Besides, think of it as your punishment for stealing drinks from behind the bar again." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, before turning back to the others.

"Go on, Santanaaa." Rachel whined. "You haves to because it's my cele-celbra-celbration, and I said so." Santana couldn't help but laugh at how she stumbled over her words.

"Oh, come on!" Kurt chimed in. "In all my years that I have known her, Santana Lopez has never once passed up on a dare." He continued, a mischievous sort of gleam in his eye. "Why should tonight be any different?" _Maybe because once her tongue touches Brittany's bare skin, she may actually lose all battles with herself and jump the poor girl right there and then?_

"_Fiiinne." _She groaned. "Puckerman, go gets me some salt and lime." He did as he was told and returned within seconds, making no attempt at hiding the hungry grin making its way across his face. _Idiot. _Santana stood up and wobbled a little. She hadn't realised quite how drunk she was and now that she was standing up, everything felt a bit hazy. The buzz was exhilarating though, and she could feel the alcohol pumping through her veins and spurring her on as she made her way round the table towards where Brittany was sitting.

"Stand up." Santana said in a soft and low voice. She could just make out the sounds of the others shouting and cheering them on, but her head felt kind of foggy and the voices sounded sort of muffled, like they were underwater. Brittany stood up, her eyes fixed on Santana. "Now get on the table." She ordered, a little more forcefully this time. _She was going to make the most of this._ The blonde obeyed without a word, the tiniest of smirks tugging at her lips. Santana's heart was racing, and she could now barely hear the chants of her friends. She didn't care though, she was only thinking about one thing.

The Latina picked up the lime segment and handed it to her friend who was sitting on the table, legs dangling in front of her. The blonde's gaze held Santana's as she placed the lime in her mouth and closed her lips around it. The Latina's breath hitched in her throat. _Fuck this was hot. _"Lie down." Brittany did so, her eyes still locked on Santana's. She could barely think straight, the rest of the room and everyone in it seemed to sort of disappear as she looked at the girl lying in front of her, at her mercy. _She was so fucking turned on right now. _Santana took a step forward. Her heart was now hammering in her chest as she closed the distance between them. A wave of heat flooded over her body as she placed her hands flat on Brittany's stomach, at the place where her skirt met her top. _Fuck. _She tightened her fingers around the material of her top, and began to push it up slowly, revealing a toned, pale stomach. _Wow. _Keeping her eyes glued to Brittany's abs, she continued to push up her shirt until her fingers came into contact with lace. Realising she'd just touched the fabric of Brittany's bra, Santana shot her eyes up to see Brittany's lips smile around the segment of lime. She returned the smirk as she slowly grabbed the salt shaker from the table, and proceeded to leave a trail of white along the length of her stomach.

Santana felt her heart thumping in her chest, her breath quickening and her mouth starting to dry out. She smiled at Brittany before stepping forward again and placing her hands on the blonde's bare hips. Her own stomach tightened at the contact. Now she couldn't hear anything except her own shallow breathing and the only thing she could focus on was the trail of white in front of her. Her tongue darted out and licked her lips, before she leaned in and placed it on the warm skin of Brittany's stomach. She managed to suppress a moan as the blonde's abs tightened under her touch. She began to drag her tongue slowly up Brittany's toned stomach. She wanted to _tease_ her, to draw this out as much as possible. _And, fuck, she was enjoying this way too much. _She smirked as she dipped her tongue into her friend's bellybutton and continued up until she reached the patch of skin just below her bra.

Santana lifted herself back up, removing one hand from the girl's hips to take the shot glass that was sat to her right on the table. She knocked it back in one, letting the cool liquid run down her throat, before she licked her lips again, and leant forward once more, refusing to look away from the blonde's piercing eyes. As she got closer, she noticed they were now a much darker shade of blue, which made the Latina smirk again. The blonde held her breath when Santana finally closed the distance between them and sucked on the lime which Brittany held firmly between her teeth.

Eventually the darker girl pulled away and straightened herself up, licking her lips once more before a smile spread its way across her face. As Brittany sat up and removed the lime from her mouth, the two exchanged a look. It was just for a second. But Santana knew that look, and she couldn't help but giggle.

"That. Was. Awesome." Puck blurted out, eyes wide and mouth ajar. Santana had almost forgotten the others were still here. As her surroundings came back into focus, her heart rate slowed and her breathing became manageable again. _Wow. That definitely was awesome._

"Yes, Bravo, Bravo!" Kurt cried, followed by a small round of applause from the table. Rachel was giggling hysterically and Quinn was eyeing her up with an amused expression. But Santana didn't care, because _holy shit that was probably the hottest thing she had ever experienced. Like ever. _She turned back to Brittany, who was clearly thinking the same thing if her flushed cheeks and heaving chest were anything to go by. Santana wasn't sure what to do next. She was feeling pretty drunk now and didn't really want to sit back down. She needed a change of environment she needed-

"Let's dance!" Rachel exclaimed, jumping up from her seat and tugging Quinn with her. _Yes, she needed to dance._

"Great idea, Berry. Britt?" Brittany was already on her feet and grinned at Santana before grabbing one of the remaining shot glasses and tossing it back. The group made their way over to the dance floor, the music getting louder and louder the closer they got. She smiled when once again Brittany's hand found her own as they pushed their way through the crowd.

**…**


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! Hope you like this chapter, it was quite fun to write. Keep the reviews coming, I love reading them! x

Chapter 6:

_Things began to get a little foggy again. But in a good kind of way. _Santana wasn't really sure who she was dancing with or even how long she'd been dancing, she just knew she was dancing. A _lot._ Santana could feel the bass pounding in her chest and the buzz of the tequila running through her body. It felt _amazing. _She wasn't sure where Quinn and Rachel had disappeared off to, and to be honest right now she didn't really care, but she spotted Kurt grinding with some cute guy and giggled. After shouting something immature like _go get a room – _she couldn't really hear herself over the loud music – she spun round to see where the others were. Puck was nowhere to be seen – probably off cornering his next unsuspecting victim, and Brittany… Brittany was-

"Hey Santana." She whipped her head round and tried to focus her eyes on the blonde grinning in front of her. _Brittany._

"Britt-Britt!" Santana flung her arms around her friend. _Oh god she was so drunk._ "I missed you!"

"I missed you too." The blonde had to lean in so that the darker girl could hear her. Feeling her warm breath once again brush over her neck sent a shiver down Santana's spine – the good kind. "Dance with me, Santana."

"I _am _dancing, silly!" Santana replied with a chuckle, because she _was _dancing.

"No." Brittany said softly into her ear. "Dance _with_ _me."_ She repeated, grabbing Santana's hips and pulling her closer. _Shit._ Brittany's body began to move with the music – Santana couldn't really focus on what song was playing, she knew she recognised it, but everything was still kind of hazy. But then she felt Brittany's hip grind into her and _shit, she'd forgotten how good of a dancer Brittany was. _Her mind flashed back to that first time she'd seen her in the studio, how she'd caught her staring and how she'd stared right back with those blue eyes. Santana daren't look up. She knew if she locked onto them now she wouldn't be able to control herself. She felt the blonde grind into her again, and this time she couldn't hide the moan which escaped.

"Santana." The blonde whispered into her ear.

"_Fuck, _Britt-" The Latina moaned again, because _holy shit she could not be more turned on right now._

"_Santana_." Brittany said again, this time with more force, causing the darker girl to finally look up at her. _Fuck, Brittany looked just as turned on she felt. _Her hair was kind of tousled in a sexy, just-been-fucked sort of way, her cheeks were flushed pink, and the eyes staring back at her were the darkest shade of blue Santana had ever seen._ Wow. _"That so wasn't fair, Santana." She couldn't bring herself to speak right now, her heart was beating too loud and her breathing was so quick and her mouth didn't seem to want to form words. She just stared back at those dark blue eyes. "That... Body shot." Brittany's breathing was heavy too, she could hardly get her words out. "You… That. _So _not fair." She breathed, her smirk growing. _Oh god._

"That was totally your fault." Santana managed to reply, her own smirk growing too. Brittany giggled that completely adorable and sexy giggle, and then pointed to herself with an innocent expression as if to say _who, me?_ "Yeah, I so blame those abs." Santana teased, flicking her eyes down to where her tongue had been not too long ago and _fuck, she wanted it there again so badly. _At that, Brittany's smile grew wider and more mischievous. Her right hand moved from the darker girl's hip and round to her lower back, before pulling her in tighter. Santana let out a small whimper as her body was pressed right up against the blonde's. Another jolt of Brittany's hip and Santana could feel the arousal begin to pool between her legs. _Fuck._ Her hand shot up to tangle in blonde hair and her face moved to rest in the crook of Brittany's neck. She could feel the warmth of her skin, and she was sure Brittany was just as wet as she was. And suddenly the realisation of what they were doing, and where they were doing it, rushed over her.

"Brittany." Santana mumbled into her neck. She felt Brittany's muscles tense as her breath brushed against her hot skin. The blonde pulled her closer. "_Britt."_ This time Brittany stopped and stood still, releasing her hold slightly and pulling back so that she was looking right at her. _Shit. _Looking right at her with those blue eyes now dark with lust. "Britt, I-"

"Santana," She whispered, not once lifting her gaze. "Santana, tell me. Just… Just tell me what you want." Her voice was so soft and so adorable and so sexy all at the same time that Santana just stood there, losing herself in this moment for a second.

"I… I want…" She watched as Brittany's eyes darted down to her lips, and then back up to meet her own. Suddenly Santana remembered about her game plan. She remembered the slutty dress she was wearing, and the way she'd seen those blue eyes rake over her body earlier that night. She remembered the way she'd been thinking about Brittany in the shower, and how she hadn't been able to get her out of her head all day. She remembered that she was meant to be driving _her _crazy.

"I… I want you to come with me to the bathroom."

She watched as Brittany's eyes widened, and she smirked as the blonde licked her lips before nodding slowly_. _Santana took Brittany's hand in her own, turned on her heels and walked purposefully towards the ladies room. She pushed open the door and scanned the room to see that no one was inside. _She was going to do this. She was going to do what she'd wanted to do ever since she'd laid eyes on Brittany in that dance studio. They may be friends and she may be Quinn's roommate and she may be a girl but fuck it, she couldn't care less right now. _

Santana stopped and her hand let go of Brittany, who was still behind her. She spun around to look at her, like _right _at her and into those eyes of hers before taking a step towards her. The blonde just stood there, her chest heaving up and down, biting on her bottom lip and searching Santana's eyes with her own. _Fuck. _If there were any doubts in her mind, the look on Brittany's face right then made every single one of them disappear – a sort of amazing mixture of confusion and lust and _happiness_ - and before she knew it Santana was crashing her lips against the blonde's. _Wow. _

Her left hand gripped onto Brittany's hip, pushing her hard against the bathroom door, her other hand shot up to tangle in blonde hair. Brittany's arms looped around Santana's waist, and the Latina let out a groan as the blonde pulled her tight against her. Brittany moaned, parting her lips to take Santana's bottom one in her own and _holy shit this was the like hottest thing ever._ Unable to suppress the whimper that escaped her mouth as Brittany sucked hard on her lip, Santana's hand moved from blonde hair to grasp around Brittany's neck. Desperate for more, Santana pressed herself even closer against the blonde and pushed her tongue through her parted lips. Santana felt Brittany groan into her mouth as she deepened the kiss, finding the blonde's tongue with her own. Santana shuddered at the feel of Brittany's wet tongue brushing against hers and _fucking hell she tasted so good. _She could feel her pulse pounding in her chest and between her legs and _holy fuck this was amazing and she never wanted this kiss to end and- shit. _The openness of the two girls' situation suddenly dawned over Santana in a wave of panic, and she became all too aware of what they were doing in a very _public _restroom. A whine of protest escaped Brittany's lips as Santana pulled her head away, breaking the kiss. Panting heavily, she looked up into dark blue eyes, which were now staring back at her with confusion.

"Santan-?" Her voice was breathy and barely audible.

"Britt. Stall, now." She ordered, before pulling the blonde close and reconnecting their lips. Santana stumbled backwards towards one of the bathroom cubicles, guided by Brittany's firm hold on her lower back. Once inside, she let the blonde spin her around and this time it was the Latina who was being pinned against the door. She heard the click of the lock and let out another moan as Brittany's lips found her neck, licking and nipping at every inch of skin there. Lifting her head back to allow her more access because_ fuck this felt so good_, she gasped as the blonde sucked down hard on her pulse point. Next, Brittany began to drag her tongue down the length of her throat, over her collarbone, pausing at the soft curve of her cleavage. Santana thought she had stopped breathing altogether when she felt Brittany's lips press down once more as the blonde sucked hard on the skin just above the line of her dress.

"_Fuck, Britt-"_ She gasped, cutting herself off with another moan, this time not bothering to hold it in as she felt arousal pool between her legs. She knew where her friend wanted to go, she could sense where her tongue was eager to explore and _holy shit she wanted so badly just to pull down the straps of her dress and let her._ But something stopped her; something in the back of Santana's drunk, blurry mind told her _not now, not here._ Instead she grabbed onto Brittany's neck and pulled her back up so that she was once again level with her face. With her other hand, she gently cupped Brittany's flushed cheek, and held her gaze for a moment. The girls stood there for a second, their faces inches apart, breathing heavily and just taking each other in. Santana couldn't help but notice the softness in Brittany's eyes and the curve to her lips and think what a sweet and beautiful moment this was in the midst of all the heat and the passion.

Needing to touch her again, to be close to her and to feel her lips once more against her own, Santana pulled Brittany in towards her and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. The blonde sighed into her as her tongue once again found the Latina's.

"You really do… look amazing… tonight." Brittany gasped out in between kisses, her hands grabbing tighter at her friend's waist.

"_God, Britt-"_ Santana moaned as Brittany's hands made their way across her stomach and her tongue once again found her neck. Santana couldn't think straight, she couldn't hear anything above the pounding in her chest and everything was kind of spinning as the blonde began sucking on her pulse point as she had done before. "You're so… _Fuck, _Brittany." The Latina held her breath as she felt Brittany's hands moving up her stomach towards her chest, and all she could think about was how _fucking amazing _this felt and how she never wanted this to stop and-

"Santana?" _Shit. _Quinn's voice cut through the air as the girls broke apart.

"Y-yeah?" Santana managed to get out, her breathing still heavy and her head still spinning.

"Have you seen Brittany?" The Latina's eyes locked onto blue and the two girls just stood frozen for a second, staring at each other, Brittany's hands still on her sides and Santana's holding their firm grip around her neck.

"Uh, n-no." Santana replied, trying her best to hide the roughness to her voice, her eyes still fixed on the blonde in question.

"Um, okay. Well… if you do, can you tell her we're leaving soon?" Santana muttered a _sure_ as she heard the restroom door close and Quinn disappear again.

_Shit._

Santana tore her eyes away from Brittany's and looked down. "We should… um…" She didn't really know what she was trying to say and she didn't really care because _holy fuck that was so close. _She pulled her hands away from the blonde and turned quickly to open the door.

"Santan-"

"We need to go." She watched as Brittany flinched at the hardness of her words. She didn't care how much of a bitch she sounded right now, she ignored the look of hurt which spread its way across the blonde's face as she walked purposefully towards the door, all she could think about how she had almost just been caught full on _making out_ with Brittany in a public restroom – _Brittany,_ a _girl_, who just so happened to betheir childhood friend and Quinn's new roommate and _shit, this was going to be bad tomorrow. _She pushed open the door and let it slam shut behind her, leaving her friend alone in the bathroom.

**…**

_Holy shit. Worst. Hangover. Ever._

Santana groaned and rolled over onto her front, burying her face into her pillows. She felt _awful. _Her head was pounding, her ears were still ringing and a sick feeling was quickly building in her stomach which forced her to turn over onto her back again.

Wrenching an eye open to glance at her clock which was flashing 11.30, and thanking god it was Sunday, she looked down to see herself still fully clothed and her heels kicked off on the floor. _How much did she drink last night? _

_Shit. Last night. _

Images of the previous night began to flash through Santana's head, her memory slowly returning to her in a jumbled, hazy sort of mess. She remembered having Champagne and Rachel giggling and Puckerman was there and… She remembered dancing and drinking tequila and –

_The body shot. _Santana's heart began to beat fast as she remembered the way those blue eyes had held her gaze as she ran her tongue over Brittany's toned stomach. She remembered dancing with her, the way her body had pressed right up against her own, and how her hip had jolted into her sending a rush of arousal down her body. And then she remembered kissing her. A _lot. _Santana felt herself getting hot as she thought about how Brittany's tongue had felt against her own, and how her lips had felt pressed against her neck and- _fuck. _

_Quinn._

Santana could feel her heart racing now as she recalled how her friend had walked in on her make-out session in the bathroom. She scrunched her eyes shut as she remembered the suspicion that had laced Quinn's voice as she addressed her. _Shit, did she know?_

Groaning loudly again, she peeled off the covers and tentatively got out of bed, taking care not to upset her delicate stomach with any sudden movements. _She needed coffee. _Santana stepped out of last night's dress and pulled on some pyjama shorts and an old sweatshirt. Holding onto her throbbing head, she forced the memory of last night from her mind and staggered into the living room.

"Dear god, you look awful." Kurt announced with an amused smile, eyeing up Santana as she dragged herself into the kitchen and shot a glare his way. He was stood leaning against the counter, clutching a bowl of cereal. Rachel was sat hunched over at the island and lifted her head from her hands as the Latina entered the room.

"How are you feeling, Santana? Kurt was just about to come and check you were still alive." Taking the scowl directed at her as answer enough, she returned her head to her hands. "I'm feeling horrendous if it's any consolation. I blame Puck and his stupid shots!"

"Inside voice, Berry, _please._" Santana grunted as she poured herself a large cup of coffee. "And in answer to your question, not good. I feel like I've been hit by a fucking bus." She slumped down on a stool opposite her friend, mirroring her position and burying her face in her hands.

"You kind of look like it too." Kurt mumbled through a mouthful of cereal, chuckling at the death stare he received. "So what happened to you last night? You disappeared for like an hour. Which poor, innocent victim did you find to grind yourself up on in the bathroom this time?" Santana almost choked, somehow managing not to splutter coffee all over the island. She whipped her head round to see Kurt looking at her with a smirk. _Did he…? No, he couldn't. There's no way he could have found out. Shit, she needed to calm down. _

"Just some guy." She muttered with a shrug and returned to her coffee. Rachel then chimed in.

"Yeah, Brittany disappeared as well." _Shit, shit, shit._ Kurt's grin grew as he watched Santana's cheeks redden slightly. "Quinn and I were searching everywhere for her. She didn't want her to have to find her way back to the apartment by herself."

"How strange." Kurt added playfully, still eyeing the Latina, clearly finding this very amusing. "Maybe Brittany got lucky too?" _Oh god. _Santana did her best to sound disinterested, mumbling a response and keeping her eyes fixed on her coffee. Suddenly her phone buzzed on the table and she thanked god for the distraction. She picked it up and saw a message flashing from Quinn._ Shit, shit, shit._

_If you're still alive, I hope you've remembered we're having lunch today. See you at 1. – Quinn_

_Fuck._

Santana had completely forgotten about her plans with Quinn today. Even though she really didn't feel like seeing her after last night, and she _definitely _didn't feel like eating anything just yet, she knew it would just raise more suspicion if she didn't go. Downing the rest of her coffee, she lifted herself from her stool.

"Who was that?" Kurt asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not that it's any of your business, Lady Hummel," She snapped. "But it was Q. We're having lunch."

"If I wasn't feeling so terrible I'd join you." Rachel said with a sigh.

"Well that's lucky, Berry, 'cause I don't think the restaurant allows hobbits in." With that, she stomped off towards her room, leaving a hurt looking Rachel and an amused Kurt behind.

"She's so mean when she's hungover." Santana heard before slamming her door behind her.

**…**

An hour later, Santana was sat opposite Quinn, a very large and much needed glass of water in front of her, listening to some boring story about her politics class. She had showered, thrown on some sweats and pulled her hair up into a tight ponytail, before walking the three blocks to the restaurant. The shower and fresh air had helped a little with the hangover, but she sure as hell still couldn't stomach food, so staring at Quinn who was currently devouring a large sandwich was not helping her fragile state.

"You eat like a pig, Fabray. It's really not pleasant to watch." Santana took a gulp of her water and tried to concentrate on something other than the growing feeling of nausea in her stomach.

"Don't be a bitch Santana. Taking out your hangover on me isn't going to make you feel any better." _How did she know?_ "Anyway, I'm starving. I haven't eaten all day because there's no food in the house. Brittany's out grocery shopping now." At the mention of the blonde's name, Santana's eyes shot back to look at Quinn, who was now eyeing her suspiciously. "Speaking of Brittany," She lowered her sandwich to the plate and shifted in her seat. "Did you do something to her last night?" _Yes. She did a lot of things to her last night. _

"What the fuck do you mean?" Santana spat out, trying her best to hide the nervousness in her voice.

"Well, she was acting really weird this morning," Quinn began slowly. "And she seemed kinda upset or something. Anyway, you guys disappeared for a while last night and… Well, I was just wandering if you… said something to her?"

"Said what exactly?" The Latina was annoyed now. Why would Quinn assume it was _her _that had upset Brittany? She knew she could be a bitch sometimes, but for Quinn to automatically suspect Brittany's bad mood was Santana's fault was just harsh. And then she remembered the look one Brittany's face. The way her expression had filled with confusion when Santana had pushed the blonde off her, and how her eyes had glistened with hurt when she turned and left her in the bathroom. _Shit._

"Well… I know how you can be Santana." Quinn said tentatively, choosing each word carefully. "Especially when you've been drinking… and Brittany's very… sweet. And you're, well… you can be quite mean, Santana." The Latina opened her mouth to protest but Quinn silenced her with a wave of her hand. "And don't get all defensive, you know it's true, and that's what most of us love about you. You've never exactly _held back_ when it comes to sparing people's feelings – I mean, in sophomore year you told Rachel that she should move to Israel." Rolling her eyes at the smirk forming on Santana's lips, she continued. "I just mean that I can see how Brittany could be an easy target… You two may have been inseparable when we were little, but… You've always been very _different. _She's-"

"She's a wonderfully kind person and I'm a straight up bitch. Is that what you're trying to say?" Santana snapped, hurt at the words coming from her friend, but knowing that they were kind of true.

"Well, I wasn't going to put it like _that_, but… just don't take advantage of her ok? Brittany doesn't need someone like you _influencing _her." _Rude._

"She's not stupid, Q. And she's a grown woman, she can look after herself. We're not kids anymore." Quinn had always been jealous of her and Brittany. _Everyone_ had been. Although growing up they were very much a trio – _the unholy trinity_ they used to call themselves_ – _Santana and Brittany were always closer. She didn't know why, they just were. They just sort of had this unwritten bond, a kind of unspoken connection that they were best friends. They would always be holding hands, or playing with each other's hair, and it was always the two of them who stayed up longer than Quinn at their sleepovers, telling more stories and sharing more secrets. That's where this was coming from, Quinn was just jealous.

But Santana couldn't help but think that this was more than that. It was like Quinn didn't think Santana was _good enough_ for Brittany, and now that she thought about, she kind of agreed. She was a bitch, she was nasty to people, she wasn't exactly _focussed _on her studies, and she definitely partied way too much. She was a bit of a mess, really. _Fuck. Quinn was so right._

"I'm not saying she's stupid. She's just… _impressionable._ Whatever, I just… If you've said anything to her can you just sort it out? I've never known Brittany to be upset. It's like looking at a kicked puppy." With that, Quinn returned to her sandwich.

"Whatever."

**…**


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everyone! I had to keep writing after the last chapter and managed to get down another. So enjoy! And loving your reviews, keep 'em coming, I want t know what you think! x

Chapter 7:

Santana hated Mondays. She wasn't sure why they were ever invented in the first place because they're by far the worst day of the week and no one in their right mind likes them. The weekend should just skip straight to Tuesdays which were much more bearable. First of all, she had to get up early for her Musical History class at 9 – which, by the way, was like _the_ most pointless thing ever because who the hell wants to listen to some bullshit about lame-ass composers who are all dead now anyway? – And then she had to wait around for an hour before her next class started, which was what she was doing now.

She was sat at a small table in the corner of the café on campus, sipping on her latte and tapping away at her phone. She had been texting Puck, arranging their next night out. She still wasn't pleased with him for the whole _body shot _incident, which she blamed entirely for what happened later with Brittany, but they had fun together and he got her free drinks at Lola's so…

She tapped out a message telling him she was game for a night out in the next few days and hit send. Santana definitely needed another night out soon. She needed to get her drink on and then she needed to get her mack on with someone who was not Brittany. She needed to get the blonde out of her head. Another reason she now disliked Mondays, was that she had her dance class next, which normally wouldn't be a problem - Santana loved dancing, and she was pretty damn good at it – but now it meant the very real possibility of her bumping into said blonde. She really wasn't ready for that kind of awkwardness and _fuck, it was going to be so awkward._ She didn't know what she was going to say or how Brittany was going to react after she blew her off. Should she just completely ignore it and pretend it never happened? _No, that would be weird. _Maybe she could claim her drink got spiked and she doesn't remember anything about that night. _No, also weird. _

As she got out of her seat and made her way out of the café towards her next class, Santana continued to search her mind for the right kind of excuse, or explanation, or _something_ that would let Brittany know it was a mistake. A mistake that had happened to feel amazing at the time, a mistake she secretly wished she could repeat, but still a mistake. She wasn't into girls. She definitely wasn't going to develop proper _feelings _for any of them. Sure, it was fun every now and again when she was drunk and horny, but it couldn't turn into anything more than that. That's all she had been on Saturday night. Drunk. And definitely horny.

Santana didn't have to wonder about the possibility of bumping into Brittany for much longer before she did just that. As in _literally_ walked smack bang into her.

"Shit, sorr-" _Oh god. _

"Hey, Santana." Brittany knelt down and picked up Santana's bag which had fallen to the floor in their collision, before straightening herself up and locking her eyes on the Latina.

"Uh…" _Shit. _"Hi, Brittany." The blonde had clearly just come from dance class. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, she was wearing probably _the _shortest shorts Santana had ever seen - _fuck her legs looked amazing – _and a loose tank top. Her face was flushed and she was kind of sweaty but Santana couldn't help but catch her breath at how sexy she looked. _Shit, no. This wasn't the game plan. Get it together, Lopez._

Brittany broke their awkward silence. "Can we, uh… talk?" She asked in a tiny voice, pulling her eyes away from Santana's and looking nervously at the floor. "About Saturday?" _Oh god. _Santana looked around them. The corridor was filled with NYADA students walking past in both directions, chatting and laughing. She did _not _want to talk about this here, where people could hear them, where rumours could spread and where people could put a label on her.

"There's nothing to talk about, Brittany." As soon as the words left her mouth Santana could taste their sourness. She knew she was being harsh, she had to be, but it was still hard to see the look of hurt appear on her friend's face and the sadness in those blue eyes. _She now knew what Quinn had meant about the kicked puppy._

"I… Um, okay, but-" The blonde started in a quiet voice, her eyes searching Santana's. The Latina pulled her eyes away so that Brittany's couldn't find what they were looking for – hope, or the truth maybe – something that they would definitely find if they looked much longer.

"Britt, we were both drunk." Santana said flatly, in a lower tone now so no one would overhear. "It was nothing. We need to just forget about it, okay?" Even she could feel the lies in her own words as she spoke them. She knew she wasn't going to forget about it, she didn't want to. But she had to. Quinn was right, she wasn't good enough.

"What if I-" The blonde began to ask, reaching out to take Santana's hand.

"Britt, I'm late for class." She pulled her hand free from Brittany's grasp and strode off towards her classroom. _Shit. That was horrible. _She knew it was the right thing to do, but why did it feel so completely wrong?

**…**

Santana slumped down onto the couch and grabbed the remote. She turned on the TV and began to watch some crappy MTV reality show. She wasn't really watching though because all she was thinking about was how shitty her day had been. She hadn't been able to concentrate at all in her dance class after her conversation with Brittany. She'd fucked up all the steps to her routine and now she was in a shit mood.

_Fucking Mondays. _

Deciding to switch off the television because she was now just sort of staring blankly at it, she made her way over to the kitchen area to seek out some tea. Or maybe wine. _Was five o'clock_ _too early for a drink? _Going with _no, _because she'd had a particularly shit day which definitely justified the need for something stronger than tea, she reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of red.

"Back on the booze already are we?" Kurt asked as he made his way into the kitchen, eyeing the sizable glass of wine Santana was now pouring herself.

"Fuck off, Hummel." She snapped, returning the bottle to the fridge.

"Bad day?" His eyes widened as Santana gulped down almost half the glass in one.

"You could say that." She placed her glass on the island and pulled up a stool. "And, no, I do _not _want to talk about it." She added, glaring at her roommate.

"I wasn't going to ask!" Kurt responded, lifting his hands up playfully.

"Can I ask you guys something?" Rachel shouted from the corridor, before appearing at the door holding two dresses in her hands.

"Yes, Berry. You're moustache is particularly noticeable today."

"Ignore her, Rachel. She's in one of her moods." Kurt said with a sigh and a shake of his head. Rachel shook the look of hurt from her face and removed the hand which had shot to her upper lip in embarrassment, and made her way over to the others. "And if it's fashion advice you're after, look no further. Kurt Hummel is here to offer you his expert advice and knowledge."

"Well, then, Mr _Vogue intern,_" She began, holding up her hands to show him the dresses she had been holding. "Which one? I have a recital tomorrow and I want to look smart and pretty and sexy, but not too sexy, I still need to appear professional and I want to feel comfortable and-"

"No one gives a shit, Berry. You're blabbering is driving me insane." Santana groaned, before taking another gulp of wine. "And, anyway, how do you even find stores that sell clothes for hobbits?" Before Rachel could make an attempt at a comeback, Santana's ringtone started up and her phone began to vibrate in front of her. She grabbed it from the island.

_Quinn._

"What the fuck do you want now Fabray?" Santana snapped. She really didn't feel like listening to another one of Quinn's lectures. She couldn't stop thinking about their conversation in the restaurant yesterday, and hearing the sourness of her words. _Brittany doesn't need someone like you._ She kept replaying it, over and over again, each time feeling more of the sting.

_"What did you do?"_ Came Quinn's cold voice over the speaker.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

_"Brittany." _The word froze in the air as Santana swallowed hard. "_What did you say to her?" _When Santana didn't respond, Quinn continued. She sounded like a teacher telling off a student. _"I told you to fix it, and now she comes home from class even more upset than yesterday. So I'm asking you, what did you do?"_

"Oh fuck off, Q." Santana spat. Kurt and Rachel had now turned their attention to the Latina, who had begun pacing up and down the kitchen. "Why is it that _I _have to have done something?"

_"Because you always do something, Santana. Just because you're angry and depressed and you hate the world, doesn't mean you can drag everyone down with you. I'm not surprised your dad left you." _Santana froze. She felt her cheeks getting hot and she could sense the beginnings of tears building up behind her eyes and _she was not going to cry._ Rachel stepped towards her, suddenly full of concern at the expression now on the Latina's face, and took her hand in hers.

"Fuck you Quinn."

_"Look, whatever. I didn't mean that, I'm sorry. I just… Santana I'm just pissed and worried about Brittany. She left, just stormed out. I have no idea where she is or-"_

Santana pressed hard on the red button, cutting Quinn off. She didn't want to listen to her anymore and hearing that Brittany had left and was now missing made her feel even worse.

"Are you ok?" Rachel asked in a small voice, her eyes wide and staring up at the Latina.

"I'm fucking fine." She snapped and pulled her hand from Rachel's, before storming off to her room and slamming her door shut. She tapped out a quick message to Puck, telling him that they were going out tonight, and to meet her at Lola's at 9.

**…**

Having showered and pulled on a tight black skirt and her red top with the particularly revealing neckline, she began doing her make-up. _Fucking Quinn. _How dare she say those kind of things? She was meant to be her friend, and sure she might have been angry, but that did not make it ok for her to bitch at her like that. The worst part was that as Santana went over Quinn's words in her head, she began to hear the truth behind them. She _was _angry. She had been for a long time actually. After her dad had left, she watched her mum become angry too, and depressed, and then just… sad. She couldn't understand how her dad could just _leave. _How he could just walk away from the woman he was supposed to love and the child he was supposed to cherish. That's when it had all started – the drinking, the partying, the need for meaningless sex because she didn't want to feel anything, she _couldn't_ feel anything. And Brittany had moved away; she was no longer able to be soothed by her words or softened by her touch. _Brittany. _

_Fuck._

Santana needed a drink, to get drunk. She needed to forget about everything for a while and she needed to stop with all these _feelings._ Applying the last of her make-up, she stepped into a pair of black heels and grabbed her purse. She picked up her phone and made her way through the living room and towards the front door.

"Where are you-" Rachel began from her seat on the sofa.

"Out."

**…**

Santana scanned the room and caught sight of Puck sitting at the bar, talking to the blonde barmaid who was now throwing her head back and laughing. _Classic Puck._

"On the prowl already, Fuckerman?" Santana deadpanned as she took a seat next to her friend.

"Lopez." He grinned and nodded at her before turning back to the blonde. "This is…"

"Brooke." The bimbo giggled as she took out two beers and placed them on the bar in front of them.

"Lopez, this is Brooke." Puck pointed to the girl as his eyes raked down her body and back up. _Gross._

"Don't give a shit." Santana said dryly before taking a swig of beer. _That's better._

"I see you're in a delightful mood." Puck retorted, looking disappointed as Brooke turned her attention to another customer. "Thanks for that."

"Oh you'll get over it, Puckerman." She took another gulp, enjoying the feel of the cool liquid down her throat.

"So," Puck began, twisting on his stool to face his friend. "I'm guessing you don't wanna talk about it?" She shook her head. "Okay, so how's the blonde?" He grinned devilishly.

"Why don't you ask her yourself, doucheface?" She spat, gesturing towards Brooke who was now at the other end of the bar.

"Not _that _blonde." He chuckled. "_Your _blonde."

"Who?" She watched as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Oh, you mean Brittany? She's not _mine_."

"Yeah, whatever Lezpez." He took a gulp of his beer. "She's hot. I don't blame you."

"She's… We're not- Oh shut up, Puckerman." She shoved his arm jestingly. His grin didn't falter.

"You don't fool me, Lopez. I saw you practically dragging her to the bathroom the other night. Have fun in there?" He sniggered as Santana's eyes widened and her cheeks pinked. "It's cool, dude. No one else saw."

"If you tell _anyone._" Santana jabbed a finger into his chest. "I swear to god, I will shove my foot _so _far up your ass, you-"

"I won't, I won't!" Puck laughed. "I got your back, Santana." _Yeah well the last time he said that, she ended up licking a line of salt up Brittany's bare stomach._ "What's the deal with you two anyway?"

"Nothing." She took one last gulp of beer before setting it down and reaching over the bar like before for the bottle of tequila.

"Didn't look like nothing from where I was standing." Puck teased and Santana stuck her tongue out at him. She reached over the bar again and pulled out two glasses, before filling them with the clear liquid. "You two are old friends, right?"

"Yeah… It's complicated." Santana took a sip and grimaced as the strong alcohol hit the back of her throat.

"Santana Lopez, complicated? There's a first." He said and she chuckled at the mock horror across his face. "With you it's normally just straight in, straight out. If you catch my drift." _She did._

"I do, thank you very much, although you can hardly talk. There's a reason I call you _Fuck_erman." She bit back with a smirk and took another gulp of her drink.

"Oi, don't change the subject. Do you _like _her?" He asked tentatively, leaning forward.

"Puck, she's a girl." He stared at her for a moment, studying her face.

"So? Why does that matter?" Why _did _that matter?

"I don't know, it just… I can't, Puck. It's too… I just-" She stopped because _fuck. _She froze. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open and she couldn't say anything because _Brittany. _Puck followed her gaze and turned around to see said blonde sat at a booth on the other side of the bar, her arms draped over a preppy-looking blonde guy. _Sam._

Santana and Puck watched as Sam leaned in to whisper something in Brittany's ear, who tossed her head back and laughed loudly. They remained silent as the pair stood up, Sam throwing his arm around her shoulder as they made their way to the dance floor. _What the actual fuck. _

Santana couldn't watch this anymore, she couldn't just sit there doing nothing. Jealousy raged through her body and she stood up, knocking back the rest of her _very strong _drink and began marching towards where the pair had disappeared. She didn't think about what she was doing, she didn't give a shit about how crazy she looked, she just had to do something.

"Santana, don't-" She heard Puck say but she didn't care. She was already gone, striding over to the dance floor, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. She could already feel the buzz from the alcohol and it only spurred her on as she pushed her way through the crowd. _She was so angry. She needed to do something, do anything. She just needed to stop this. Whatever this was._

And then she saw them. And she stopped. And she just watched them, their bodies locked together, her arms around his neck and his hands on her waist. He watched as Sam leaned in an whispered something in her ear and his hand slipped down towards her ass and-

"What the _fuck _do you think you're doing?" Santana shouted above the pounding music.

"Santana?" Brittany let go of Sam and turned to her, her face riddled with confusion. The blonde stepped towards her, but the Latina looked right past her and at the boy standing next to her, his eyes wide with bewilderment.

"Hey, you, _douchebag._ Get the fuck away from her." She took another step closer as she saw the smirk tug at his lips.

"Santana." She heard Brittany say from behind her but she didn't lift her gaze from the boy in front of her.

"I don't mean to be a bitch. Actually, I do. Get your _giant_, guppy lips and wandering hands away from my girl Britt here." She felt a hand tug at her own and Brittany pulled her around. Her blue eyes bore deep into her own and she felt a little dizzy from the alcohol and the music.

"Santana." Brittany said once more, holding her grip on the Latina's hand. "What are you doing?" What _was _she doing?

"I, uh… Britt, he was…" Santana trailed off. She couldn't really think straight and she didn't quite know what she was trying to say.

"Britts, are you okay?" Santana heard Sam's voice from behind her but Brittany's eyes remained on her own.

"I'm fine, Sam. I'll meet you at the car." Her voice was stern. She felt Sam brush passed her and disappear into the crowd. "Why are you doing this, Santana? You don't get to do this. After earlier… what you said… you don't get to do this." She repeated. Santana opened her mouth to speak, but Brittany cut her off. "You're drunk, Santana. You should go home."

"But I-" She took a step towards the blonde.

"Go home, Santana." _Shit._

**…**


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for all the reviews everyone, love getting them. Hope you enjoy this next chapter, and don't panic, Brittana is most definitely end game! Let me know what you think! x

Chapter 8:

_Thank god it was Friday. _

The past few days had rushed by in a sort of blur. Santana was now grateful to be back at the apartment, in her sweats and sprawled out across the sofa, after a very shitty week. She hadn't seen or heard from Brittany since Monday night. She'd tried texting her and even calling, but she'd had no reply. She'd barely seen Quinn after their fight on the phone, and Kurt and Rachel had decided to keep a safe distance, not wanting to endure the wrath of a pissed off Santana Lopez. _Wise move. _

She'd felt awful when she woke up on Tuesday morning, partly due to the large throbbing in her head (_thank you, tequila)_, but mostly because of the realisation of what had happened flooding over her. She wasn't sure whether she should feel sad or probably embarrassed, or definitely _guilty_, but she just kept picturing the look of hurt that she'd seen spread its way across Brittany's face, and the way her voice had cracked slightly when she'd told her to _go home, Santana._ Santana had acted crazy. Like genuinely, clinically _insane_. She knew it had been fuelled by alcohol, as well as a bad day – what with bumping into Brittany at NYADA, followed by her argument with Quinn on the phone – but she'd just sounded so jealous_, _like a jealous _girlfriend. _Here was her old friend, who she hadn't seen in forever, who she'd flirted with shamelessly, proceeded to make out with in a restroom, only to then tell her it was nothing, and then ended up yelling at a guy who was just dancing with her. _Congratulations, Lopez. You've finally fucking lost it._

Brittany probably thought she was insane now too, and most likely never wanted to see her again. But Santana_ needed _see her again, to speak to her, to apologise and to be soothed by those blue eyes once more. It had only been a few days, but she missed her so much. _How the fuck was that even possible?_ Until last week, Santana hadn't seen her for years, and now here she was, unable to get the blonde out of her head. See, this is why she doesn't do feelings_. Feelings suck_. She knew now that she had feelings for Brittany. She didn't quite know what they were or what that meant, but they were definitely feelings.

_Right, that was it_. Santana heaved herself up from her place on the couch, grabbed her phone from the coffee table and strode purposefully towards the door. She didn't bother to change out of her sweats or put any make up on, she just picked up the keys from the little shelf by the door and made her way out. She didn't have a plan, she didn't know what she was going to do or say, she just knew she had to see her.

**…**

The elevator doors sprung open. Santana inhaled a deep breath, took a determined step out into the corridor and then stood still, staring up at the door of Quinn's apartment. Her heart racing, she took another step forward and _shit, she was so nervous. Why was she doing this again?_ Closing her eyes, she took another deep breath and knocked once, twice, three times on the door marked 302. _Okay, she could do this. She was going to walk straight up to Brittany and apologise and sort this whole mess out and-_

"Santana?" _Quinn._ Her friend stood in the doorway, surprised by her unexpected visit.

"Err… Hey, Q." The Latina looked down at her feet as a tense silence surrounded the two friends. She hadn't quite prepared herself to deal with _both _blondes, one awkward conversation was definitely enough for one day.

"Look, I… Santana I'm really sorr-"

"Don't worry about it, Fabray, really. It's fine." Santana interrupted her because it _was _fine. She didn't want things to be weird with Quinn because of some stupid fight over the phone. She'd missed her friend this week. "We were both pissed and having a bad day." Santana watched Quinn breathe a sigh of relief. "Plus, you _were_ being a bitch." She added with a playful smile.

"And so were you." Quinn returned with a matching grin as Santana rolled her eyes.

"And so was I." She gave her friend a hug – a very _quick _hug because Santana wasn't really big on hugging – and made her way past her into the apartment. Quinn asked if she wanted something to drink and Santana shook her head _no._ She needed a clear head. Alcohol was _not _her friend at the moment.

"I'm um… I'm actually here to see Brittany." Quinn closed the door and turned to face the Latina with a confused smile, a little surprised by her revelation.

"Oh?" Santana nodded shyly. "Uh, ok… Good, sure. She's in her room. It's the one Tina had before she moved in with Mike." She pointed down the hall and Santana nodded again, before saying _thanks_ and making her way out of the living room. _Deep breath. She could do this. _She paused to collect herself before knocking tentatively on the door. She stood and she waited and then she thought quite seriously about turning and running away and then-

"Santana?" Brittany's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she shot her eyes up to see the blonde staring at her with a look of genuine disbelief. The two girls stood for a second, just looking at each other and not really knowing what to say. Santana's heart was loud in her chest, she could feel her cheeks heating up and she was pretty sure she wasn't breathing anymore. _Great. She'd forgotten about the effect Brittany had on her. _

"Hey." Was all she could say in a quiet voice which didn't really sound like her own. "Can we… talk?" Blue eyes bored into hers and she felt like Brittany was looking right into her, reading all of her thoughts and exploring all of her feelings.

"I thought you said there was nothing to talk about." Brittany's voice was quiet too, laced with something a little like confusion, and something else a lot like hurt.

"_Please, _Britt." The blonde paused for a moment and studied Santana, presumably weighing things up in her mind, before taking a small step to the side and allowing her to pass. Unable to find the right words yet, never mind the ability to form them, Santana took a look around Brittany's room. It was so different to when Tina had been here; there were now loads of photos covering the baby blue walls, showing Brittany smiling and laughing with people Santana guessed were her friends and family, pretty, white fairy lights were hung up above her large double bed and although there were still a few moving boxes scattered on the floor, the room was really homey. It felt cosy and cute and so _Brittany._ And Santana liked it.

She just watched as Brittany sat down on her double bed, not quite sure if she should sit or stand herself. She decided on _stand_, mostly because her legs weren't really working yet, and waited awkwardly for a few moments. Santana hadn't really thought this far ahead. Her plan had got as far as driving to their apartment, knocking on the door and finding Brittany, but now that she was actually here and she was looking at her, she had no idea what to say or do. She'd never really done this kind of thing before. Whatever this _thing _was.

"Britt, I'm sorry." The words tumbled out before she'd even thought them but Santana figured it was a good enough start. Brittany just held her gaze expectantly, her arms crossed and her face still confused. She guessed she was going to have to do better than that. "I just… For Monday night. And for bumping into you at NYADA and- well, not for physically _bumping into you_. I mean, for being a bitch _after _bumping into you and- shit. I'm so bad at this." Santana couldn't help but notice the tiny curve which appeared for just a second at the corner of the blonde's mouth, and felt herself relax just a little, but her heart was still beating fast.

"And what exactly would _this _be, Santana?" Brittany asked, attempting to sound stern and trying her best to hide her smirk with an adorable little frown.

"I don't know, apologising? Look, I've never exactly been _big_ on apologies, Britt, and I don't even know where to begin." Legs regaining their function, she took a small step towards the bed, lifting her eyes to where her friend was sat. "Monday night. That was… I was awful. I'm sorry. I just got so mad and-"

"Why?" Brittany questioned, holding her gaze firm on the Latina.

"Why what?" Santana took another step towards her. She couldn't quite gage the expression on her face and she needed to get closer, to _be_ closer.

"Why were you mad?" Santana stopped and paused. _Because she was raging with jealousy? Because she couldn't stand seeing a guy flirting with Brittany and she couldn't watch her dance with someone the way she had danced with her?_

"I don't know, Britt." The blonde looked away. _Just say it, Lopez. _"I just felt so… I guess I was jealous." _There, it was out. Shit, shit, shit. _The word just sort of hung in the air and Brittany looked up quickly.

"You were?" There was that tiny hint of a smile again, one that Brittany didn't think Santana would notice, but she did. She could see it twitching at her lips and she could just about hear it in her voice. Santana smiled just a little bit too, she couldn't help it.

"Yeah." Santana stepped forwards again, and, seeing Brittany unfold her arms and her expression soften just a little, she decided it would be okay to sit down. "_Insanely_ jealous, Britt." She watched as this time Brittany made no attempt to hide that smile and _oh my god she'd missed it._ She wanted to move closer and make it even bigger, but she was still so… _confused_. "But I have no idea what that means, Brittany. I don't… I'm not used to this_._" She gestured with her hands to try and express whatever _this _was.

"_Okay…"_ Brittany said slowly, confusion still lacing her voice.

"And that's why I got so crazy the other night. And that's why I freaked out so much when I saw you at NYADA… because I have no idea what any of this means, Brittany, or if it means anything at all or if I-"

"Santana." Brittany said softly and calmly, and it was enough to stop her. "It's okay, slow down." The blonde shuffled closer to her friend and heard Santana's sharp intake of breath as she placed a hand slowly over the Latina's. Santana glanced down to where a pale hand was gently covering her own, and then back up to look at Brittany, whose face was so soft and kind and full of concern that she thought she felt her heart flutter just a little.

"It's just…" Santana took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "It's confusing, Britt." She sighed. She didn't really know how else to put it because _fuck it really was confusing._

Brittany took her hand away from Santana's and returned it to her lap. She looked down and bit her bottom lip, thinking hard. "I think I get that, Santana. I mean, I know I do. But you have to understand how confusing this has been for _me _too." She twisted towards her friend again, lifting a leg up onto the bed and folding it underneath her so she could face her properly. "It's like… I missed you so much, Santana. I mean, you were my best friend. I know it was like a gazillion years ago, and we were so little but… I was so sad when I had to leave and move so far away." Santana's heart melted at the adorable little pout that was now on Brittany's mouth and she shifted closer to her again. "But then suddenly I get to see you again and I was so excited and so happy. And it's like exactly the same but then it's also different. Like a _really good _different, I think, or at least it was… And all these kind of… feelings come back and then last weekend, in the bathroom, and then you pushed me away and you left and-"

"Britt-" Santana reached her hand out to take the blonde's. She needed her to slow down, she wanted to soothe her and to tell it was okay.

"No, Santana." Brittany let the darker girl rest her hand softly on hers but she didn't take it yet. "I mean, not _no. _I just…"

"Brittany, it's _okay._" Santana squeezed her hand gently and forced blue eyes to look up at her own once again. She didn't exactly know _what _was okay, but she knew whatever it was would be, and she hated seeing Brittany so sad.

"It's not." Santana's brow furrowed in confusion. "It hurt, Santana. It… Why did you say it was nothing? How could you say we had to forget about it? And then on Monday night. You were so… You didn't have the right to do that after what you said." Santana just sat there as she took in Brittany's words, hearing her small voice explain the hurt she had caused her. She never wanted to be the one to hurt Brittany. She wanted to _protect_ Brittany, to comfort her and to hold her in her arms and never let go.

"I know." Santana said in a quiet voice. "And I'm sorry, Britt. I'm so sorry. I just… I'm so confused." She said again, a little frustration now appearing in her tone. "And _angry, _and stubborn and I'm a bitch. And you're everything I'm not. You're the last person in the world I would ever want to upset, and that's all I would do, like I have done already. I'm so fucking messed up… my family and- I wouldn't know how not to hurt you, Brittany." At this, the two girls fell into silence again. Santana was sure she'd never poured her heart out like this to anyone, ever. She didn't know if what she'd said was enough, _fuck _she wasn't even sure it had made any sense, but she felt a gentle sigh of relief escape her lips anyway. Brittany looked back at her with such sincerity and kindness, that the Latina could see she understood, at least a little.

"You're not a bitch, Santana." She opened her mouth to protest but Brittany shook her head and she let it close. "You're beautiful." Santana blushed and looked down at their hands, which were intertwined and resting on the covers in the space between them. She looked back up to blue.

"I'm scared, Brittany." The blonde gave her that look again, the one filled with tenderness and affection, the one that made Santana's stomach flip, and Brittany shifted closer, closing the gap between them.

"I know." Brittany leaned forward and Santana caught her breath. The blonde pressed a soft kiss to her lips and _wow._ It was gentle and it was slow and she felt it in every inch of her. Santana sighed and smiled into Brittany's lips as a pale hand came up to softly cup her cheek. This may be complicated and it may be scary, and Santana was sure as hell still confused, but this moment, this kiss, this girl. It was perfect.

Santana's hand moved to stroke in soft, blonde hair and Brittany's lips parted slightly to take Santana's bottom one in her own. It wasn't heated; it wasn't rushed and desperate and filled with lust like the last kissed they'd shared. It was tender and amazing, and Santana wondered how she got so lucky when they broke apart and Brittany's eyes looked lovingly into her own. _Wow_ she was so beautiful.

"Hey." The blonde whispered with a smile. _Wow again._

"Hi." The Latina smiled shyly and placed another soft, short kiss onto Brittany's lips. She thought it should feel weird or wrong, but _oh my god, _kissing Brittany sober was better than kissing Brittany drunk, like _so_ much better. She can't actually remember a time when a kiss had felt so _right_, or when she'd felt so fucking happy and-

The girls shot apart as a knock sounded against the door. _Shit. Quinn._

"Guys?" Quinn's voice entered the room as she stuck her head in through the door. The two girls froze as their friend stepped into the bedroom. "I just came to see if everything was okay and bring you some tea." Quinn smiled warmly as she saw her friends sat next to each other on the bed and they both relaxed a little, hearing the light tone to Quinn's voice and realising they hadn't been caught doing anything that friends wouldn't normally be doing.

"Y-yeah." Santana replied, her voice a little shaky. "All good. Thanks." Quinn placed the mugs of tea on Brittany's bedside table before heading back towards the door.

"Can Santana stay for dinner?" Santana, taken a little by surprise, turned to face Brittany who was smiling back at her probably the happiest, most adorable smile ever, and she couldn't help but melt. "I mean, if she wants to." She added hastily. Santana didn't say anything, but just beamed back at her friend because _holy shit, Brittany was just so freaking cute._

"Of course." Quinn left the room again, closing the door behind her and smiling to herself that all was clearly resolved between her friends.

Brittany gently tucked a strand of dark hair behind Santana's ear, before leaning in and connecting their lips in another short kiss.

"Hey." She said again softly, and Santana said _hi _and smiledand lost herself in those blue eyes again. After a moment, she glanced towards the door where her other friend had just disappeared behind and then down at her lap, shifting nervously on the bed.

"Britt, I…" Brittany tugged gently on her hand and lifted the Latina's gaze back to meet her own and offered her a warm, easing smile. "I don't… I'm not- I'm not ready for people to _know._" She admitted in a small voice, looking down at her lap once more. Brittany slipped her hands around her waist and pulled her into a tight hug.

"It's okay, Santana, I understand. You don't have to do anything you don't want to." Santana sighed contentedly into her friend's neck and smiled at just how wonderful she was.

"Thank you, Britt-Britt." And then they slowly broke apart, and Brittany looked at her with a smile Santana had a feeling she reserved only for her. And then Santana kissed her again, because _she was just so freaking perfect right now, _and then Brittany grinned some more and said,

"Let's eat, I'm frickin' starving."

**…**


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys. Sorry about the little wait, uni's a bit crazy. But I hope you love this chapter. And _I'm _loving all your reviews so keep the comments coming! x

Chapter 9:

Santana woke the next morning with a warm sort of fuzzy feeling in her tummy. She let out a contended sigh and snuggled herself into her duvet. She couldn't help the goofy grin that stretched sleepily across her face as the memory of the previous day washed over her, sending a tingle down her body under the covers. She had kissed Brittany. Like _really _kissed her. And Brittany had stroked her cheek and looked at her like no one had looked at her before, and she'd held her in her arms and told her it was going to be okay. And Santana just lay there for a moment, eyes shut tight, cuddled in her duvet and hugging the memory in, letting it warm her for as long as she possibly could, because Santana _never _wanted to let this feeling go. And she thought to herself that maybe it really _was _going to be okay.

After the most adorable invitation to stay for dinner, like, _ever, _Brittany had leapt off the bed and skipped all the way down the corridor and into the kitchen, all the while holding Santana's hand in her own. Santana had loved the way her hand felt the warmth of the blonde's, and the way their fingers intertwined so perfectly, and she couldn't help but melt at the way Brittany had kept glancing back over her shoulder with a cute little smile, as if to make sure the Latina was still following.

Santana had sat through dinner almost in a trance, caught up in her own little haze of happiness. Or a _Brittany haze _maybe. She was sure that for the entire meal her dopey smile never left her lips and that her eyes not once lifted their gaze from Brittany. She couldn't help it, she was just _staring _at her, watching her in awe as she smiled and giggled her way through conversations about college, and dancing, and told silly stories about her enormous cat. She had felt her heart flutter every time blue eyes had flicked back to meet her own. She had melted at the way the blonde's lips had curved a little further upwards each time Santana had spoken, and had felt her stomach flip at the hint of pink that would appear on Brittany's cheeks when Santana smiled right back at her.

She thought about the adorable little pout that Brittany made when Santana had told her and Quinn she should probably get going.

"Don't want Berry and Lady Hummel freaking and sending out a search party. They're probably panicking right now and imagining me brutally attacked or kidnapped or something." Brittany had giggled again – _she was going to need to stop doing that, it was too freaking adorable - _and Santana's heart had stopped when the blonde pulled her into another tight squeeze and whispered _goodnight, Santana _into her ear. Okay, she may have to rethink this whole_ not being a hug person_ thing, 'cause she was definitely starting to come around. She'd almost forgotten Quinn was even there when the other blonde also gave her a quick hug goodbye. _Okay, so maybe it was just hugs from Brittany. _

Santana hadn't stopped smiling all the way down in the elevator, or as she'd made her way out towards her beat up old car, and she'd only grinned wider when her phone had buzzed in her pocket and she'd glanced down to read:

_Miss you already – Britt_

And, _see?_ So. Freaking. Cute.

As soon as she'd opened the door to her own apartment, Kurt and Rachel had bombarded her with _where the hell have you been? _And _we were so worried! _And Rachel had said that she actually _did _think she'd been kidnapped. But Santana had told them with a wave of her hand to _chill the hell out_ and kept smiling all the way to her room, where she'd flopped onto her bed and closed her eyes to dreams of blue eyes, and soft lips, and sweet smiles and _Brittany._

Santana peeled back the duvet just enough for her to look over at the clock beside her and see that it was half ten, and so probably time to remove herself from her cocoon of warmth and happy thoughts. Her blissful mood followed her to the bathroom, where she showered and brushed her teeth, and stayed with her back to her bedroom and as she got changed. Even the realisation that she'd made plans to go into school and work on her routine didn't bring her down from her high. Santana had her dance performance next week and she had promised herself she would work on it this weekend. She way preferred to practice on Saturdays, when it was quiet and she could have a studio to herself to really get into it. Although she would so prefer just to stay cuddled in bed all day, soaking up this feeling and holding onto it forever, she felt like her good mood would probably be productive for practicing and she had to nail this performance. She wasn't worried, she's pretty freaking awesome if she does say so herself, but still, a _little _practice was probably needed. Santana pulled on her grey sweatpants and a tight, pink tank top, before strolling into the living room, humming and smiling contently.

"Someone's still happy I see" Rachel chirped, looking up and eyeing the Latina from her place on the sofa. "Anything you'd care to share?"

"Nothing I'd share with _you_, Berry." Santana quipped, sticking her tongue out playfully. Not even Rachel was going to ruin her mood today. She shot a mock glare in Santana's direction, before following her into the kitchen area.

"Can I assume from that grin you're sporting and the way you're practically _skippinig _around the kitchen that things are all smoothed over between you and Quinn?" _Quinn?_

"Huh?" Santana looked up from the bowl of cereal she was now pouring milk into. _Right, Quinn. _"Oh, uh yeah. Sure." It was definitely easier to let Berry assume it was _that_ blonde that had her spirits so high. She returned the milk to the fridge and sat down on her usual stool at the island. "You know me and Q. Always trying to see who can out bitch the other. It was no big deal, all good now." Rachel smiled at her words and sat down opposite her.

"I'm thrilled to hear it!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Because I've made reservations at Azzizi's for 8. I thought it would be lovely for all of us to go out to dinner together, get to know Brittany a bit more. What do you think?" Santana stopped chewing mid-mouthful at the sound of the blonde's name. She'd been so wrapped up in her little Brittany bubble all morning (mmm… a _Brittany bubble_, that sounded pretty nice) that Santana had sort of forgotten that she existed in the real world too, outside her sweet dreams and the safety of her duvet cocoon. Her heart began to race a little bit. "Santana?" _Oh, right. Rachel was talking._

"Uh, sure, Berry. Sounds great. I'm going into school this afternoon, but 8 is cool." The thought of seeing Brittany _did _sound great – she'd been longing to see her ever since she left their apartment last night. She'd been longing to look into those blue eyes again and see her smile and feel her lips against her own, but _holy shit _she was suddenly so nervous_. _She'd practically emptied her heart out to her the previous night and admitted things she hadn't really even admitted to herself, but it had felt kind of okay in the safety and cosiness of Brittany's room. The soft kisses Brittany had pressed against her lips had felt _right_, and wonderful, and perfect when it had been just them, just the two of them getting lost in the moment with each other. But this was going to be different. They would be at dinner, in a restaurant and with their friends. How was she meant to look into those eyes and not reach over and take Brittany's hand? How in the hell was she going to see that gorgeous smile and hear that giggle and not lean over and kiss the lips that produced it? And how the _fuck _was she going to control the heat between her legs she knew she would feel if Brittany pulls her in tight against her for a hug hello. _Shit. Good luck, Lopez._

**…**

Later that afternoon, Santana was feeling pretty pleased with herself. She'd put in a good couple of hours practicing and her routine was pretty much down apart from a few tricky steps at the end which she was now trying to get right. She began to go over each move slowly, studying herself in the mirror which spanned the width of the far wall in front of her. She'd turned off the music to help her focus, and was now twisting and turning to the silent beat in her head, studying her reflection in the mirror and cursing when she made a wrong step and felt her hamstring twinge. _Fucking hell. _Santana cursed something in Spanish under her breath and leant over, slowly reaching her arms down until her fingers touched her toes. She stayed like this for a couple of minutes, bent over, ass up, stretching out the pain in her muscle until-

"Wow. Great view." Santana's heart stopped, her breath caught in her throat and she froze, her eyes darting up to see Brittany's reflection in the mirror, leaning against the studio door, arms folded and a smirk pulling at her lips. "Hey." The blonde said through her grin, her eyes lifting up from their place on her ass, and watching Santana blush.

"Hi." Santana managed to reply quietly with a shy smile of her own and straightened herself up. She didn't turn around, she just stayed there still and watched in the mirror as Brittany began to make her way slowly towards her. Her heart was now racing and she tried to soothe it with long, deep breaths. Only she couldn't breathe, or think, or speak as blue eyes stayed fixed to her own and Brittany continued to close the distance between them. Santana stood still as her friend came right up behind her, their eyes still locked in the reflection.

"I missed you." The blonde leant forward and whispered in her ear. Santana shivered as she felt Brittany's breath against her neck and she took a sharp intake of air as she watched hands come up to sit on her waist. She wanted to tell her she'd missed her too and _fucking hell she hadn't actually realised quite how much until right this second, _but she couldn't seem to speak. All she could do was stare at where Brittany's hands were gently holding onto her in the reflection of the mirror, and watch the pink slowly appear at her own cheeks. "You're a really good dancer, Santana." Her voice was low and raspy and it reminded Santana of how it had sounded that time in the bathroom and _fuck, she could feel the heat spreading through her body and down between her legs. _Brittany tightened her hold on the Latina's waist a little and leant forward again. "If you just loosened your hips a little…" Santana felt her lips ghost her neck and _holy shit this was hot. _"I think you'd be able to get that last step. You don't want to be too… tight." Santana's breath hitched and her stomach twinged as she felt Brittany's hands slowly slide forward and rest on her stomach. She could feel her fingers brush lightly over her bare skin where her top had ridden up from dancing. _Holy shit-_

"Fuck, Britt-" It came out kind of like a gasp and she heard the girl behind her inhale sharply.

"I _really _missed you." Brittany whispered, this time pressing her lips soft to Santana's neck, just below the line of her jaw. The Latina managed a _me too_ but it sounded like more of a moan than actual words. She tilted her head back to rest on Brittany's shoulder, allowing the blonde to drag her lips down the length of her throat and Santana shivered as her fingers began tracing patterns on her skin, just above the waistline of her sweats. She could hear Brittany breathing heavily and feel her own heart pounding in her chest as the blonde's fingers inched their way further down and begin to trace along the hem of her sweatpants. _Fuck, _Santana wanted those fingers to go further, to continue their path down towards the source of her heat and where she was now throbbing but something stopped her. A nagging somewhere in her hazy mind told her this probably wasn't the right place or time for this, and she so wanted it to be right_._ Besides, it may be a weekend and so probably no one else here, but they were still at NYADA, in a dance studio, with no lock on the door.

With all her will power, Santana twisted in Brittany's grasp and turned to face her. She felt herself smile and then saw Brittany smile too and she couldn't help but take a moment to think how fucking beautiful she looked. "Hi." Santana said and Brittany whispered _hey_, her smile growing wider and her eyes dropping down to Santana's lips. The Latina took a deep intake of air before leaning forward and claiming the blonde's lips with her own and _fuck it, why would anyone else be here on a Saturday?_

"I missed… kissing... you." Santana gasped between kisses and felt Brittany smile against her lips, before taking her bottom one in her own and sucking. _Oh my god, _she'd forgotten how amazing this felt. Brittany brushed her tongue across Santana's lip before pushing it in and finding her own. _Fuck she tasted so good. _How was it possible that each kiss with Brittany seemed to taste better and better and feel more and more amazing? Santana moaned into her mouth and pressed a little harder against her, her arms finding their way around Brittany's neck and Brittany's claiming her waist. The blonde guided Santana back towards the mirrored wall and pushed her hard against it, her hands sliding round to grab at her sides.

"Fuck Santan-" Brittany gasped as she broke for air, before turning her attention once again to Santana's neck. She kissed and she sucked and she nipped at the skin there as Santana groaned with pleasure. Wanting to feel the softness of her lips again and the sensation of her tongue against her own, Santana tightened her grip on Brittany's neck and pulled her in once again. Their lips immediately parted this time and their tongues brushed against each other's and _Jesus Christ if Santana didn't slow this down soon she was going to jump the girl right here in the dance studio. _She moved her hands to rest gently on Brittany's cheeks, pulling her tongue from the blonde's mouth and pressing her lips softly against hers in a sweeter and tenderer kiss. Eventually the two broke apart and their eyes found each other's again.

"Wow." Brittany whispered, and Santana couldn't help but grin. "That was… Santana I missed you." Brittany took both her friend's hands in her own and held them in between their bodies.

"Yeah?" The brunette asked, her smile growing wider and squeezing the hands holding hers.

"Totally." Brittany leaned forward and pecked another soft kiss to her lips. "So, how come you're here dancing on a Saturday?" Brittany asked, after leading Santana over to the seats behind them.

"I could ask you the same question." Santana replied with a playful smile, her breathing slowing and her heart rate beginning to return to normal. She chuckled at Brittany's pout when she'd said she'd asked her first, and told her she was liked to practice when it was quiet. Brittany admitted that was why she was here too before asking Santana what she was practicing for.

"I've got a dance performance coming up next week," Santana explained. "And it's pretty important for my second year grade so I kinda need to nail it." Brittany nudged Santana's shoulder with her own and smiled at her friend.

"But you were totally nailing it already." She kissed the hand she still held in her own. _How was it possible to go from so sexy to so fucking adorable in like two seconds?_ "I mean it, Santana. You've got natural rhythm and your timing was all on point." She smiled as Santana blushed a little. "You're really good." The brunette rolled her eyes before dropping them to her lap.

"Not as good as you, Britt. You're, like, a freaking dancing _machine_." This time it was Brittany's turn to blush. "I've seen you dancing. It was incredible."

"I don't think we can really call what we were doing at Lola's_ dancing_, Santana." Brittany replied with a smirk. "I'm pretty sure practically dry humping someone in the middle of a dance floor can't be classed as actual dancing. Don't think it would go down too well with my professors anyway." She winked and Santana nudged her shoulder playfully.

"I didn't mean _then_, Britt." She giggled. "I meant when-" _Shit. _Santana felt her cheeks getting hot and mentally face palmed when she realised the awkward moment she'd just brought up: the very first time she'd seen the blonde again, the time she'd stood and watched, entranced by the way she moved. And then those blue eyes had shot up to meet her own and caught her staring, _leering_.

"_Oh_." Brittany said in a quiet voice, the tiniest of smiles tugging at her lips. "You mean when you saw me dancing _here_?" Santana nodded shyly, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. "When you couldn't take your eyes of me you mean?" Santana's breath caught somewhere at the back of her throat and her eyes shot up to look at Brittany, who was sucking in her lips, trying – and _failing _she might add – to fight back a smirk. _Mental face palm number two._

"I- Uh…" Brittany chuckled at her nervous spluttering and once again brought Santana's hand up to her lips and pressed a small kiss onto her palm.

"You're cute." Brittany said with a giggle and Santana rolled her eyes.

"I am _so_ not cute, Britt-Britt. Awesome, yes. Incredible sexy, yes." She joked. "But cute? No." She sent a mock glare in the direction of her friend.

"Oh you totally are, Santana. Like super-duper cute." Brittany leaned in close until her lips were only inches away from the Latina's. "But I agree, also very sexy." Santana smiled as Brittany's lips pressed once again against her own and _she could so get used to this._ "Besides," the blonde continued, pulling her head back but holding her gaze on Santana. "I kinda couldn't take my eyes off you either."

"Really?" Santana asked in a small voice, her heart sort of fluttering in her chest.

"Yeah." They smiled wide at each other and Brittany squeezed their joined hands. "Well. Firstly, I knew I recognised you 'cause even though you're a lot more… _grown up _now," She smirked as her eyes raked Santana's body up and down and saw her cheeks flush again. "That gorgeous smile of yours was just the same, and your cute little dimples. And there was just something… I don't know why, I just couldn't really look away. You know what I mean?" Santana did, and she nodded with a small smile. "Or maybe it was that super adorable way you dropped your phone and went all red and-"

"Oh shut up, Britt!" Santana giggled and shoved Brittany's shoulder playfully. "I nearly killed Berry after that for texting me and making me jump. Anyway, you so weren't being fair. People should be warned about your dancing powers. They're like… I don't know, I mean… when you dance it's like so freaking… sexy." Santana bit her lip and looked shyly up at the blonde who beamed back at her.

"Yeah?" Santana traced her finger over Brittany's hand, drawing soft circles on her skin and nodded her head up and down.

"Totally." Brittany smiled some more and looked down at the patterns being mapped out across her hand.

"Well, in that case." The blonde looked up, another smirk making its way across her lips. "People should most definitely be warned about your _body shot_ powers. Very dangerous." Santana giggled and felt a twinge somewhere in her lower abdomen when she thought back to the delicious sensation of her tongue against Brittany's bare stomach.

"Britt, we already discussed this. _So_ not my fault. Definitely those abs." Santana's gaze flicked to her stomach and back up to her lips. Brittany smiled mischievously and Santana's own stomach flipped. She could feel herself getting hot again just thinking about those abs. Those toned abs that she'd tasted with her tongue and that had quivered under her touch. She wanted her tongue there again so badly. _Fuck. _She stood up suddenly.

"I should, uh- Get going Britt-Britt." She really didn't want to, but Santana knew that if she kept picturing running her tongue over Brittany's stomach she'd probably lose the internal battle she was having with herself and attack the girl. Besides, they were going out for dinner later and she needed to go home and get ready and actually make herself look nice. And if that was ever going to happen, she seriously needed to take a shower because she was kind of sweaty from all the dancing. _Amongst other things._

"You don't wanna stay and watch me dance?" Her voice was so quiet and cute and full of hopefulness.

"We both know that would be a dangerous idea, Britt." She shot a wink at the blonde and watched her smirk again.

"Okay. You're probably right." Santana couldn't help but giggle at the little pout that Brittany pushed out once again with her lips. _So freaking adorable._

"I'm seeing you in like a few hours, silly. Dinner remember?" The blonde's face immediately softened and her eyes widened in excitement. Jumping up from her seat, she embraced Santana in another Brittany hug and squeezed her tight. She pulled away, only to look into dark eyes and lean in to take Santana's lips in her own once more.

"There won't be any dancing at dinner so I think we'll be safe." Santana said with a smirk when the two broke apart.

"I'm thinking there probably won't be any opportunity for body shots either so we should be able to control ourselves." The blonde responded quickly, matching Santana's grin. "I'll try and wear something that'll cover up my abs too. You know, just so you don't lunge at me across the table or something. Could be a little awkward." _Tease. _Santana giggled before saying she'd see Brittany tonight. With a smile and a wave, Santana left the studio and headed back to the car park, her smirk not once leaving her lips.

**…**

It was now just after 8 and Kurt, Rachel and Santana were sitting in their booth at Azzizi's, their favourite Italian restaurant just down the street from Lola's. Santana was touching up her lip gloss in the compact mirror she'd brought with her in her purse. She looked _good._ Santana may be a lot of things – the words _straight up_ _bitch_ mostly coming to mind – but she sure as hell knew how to work what the good lord gave her, and tonight she was definitely going to be working it for Brittany. Her anxiety from this morning about the dinner had pretty much gone and had been replaced with a sort of eager excitement. After seeing Brittany earlier, and _kissing _Brittany earlier, and after teasing each other about trying to control themselves tonight, she was definitely looking forward to driving her a little crazy. She wanted to toy with her and to feel that rush of wanting to touch her but knowing she couldn't. And she was going to enjoy every minute of it.

With all that in mind, Santana had decided to leave her hair wavy tonight, and right now it was definitely working for her. It had the whole sexy, tousled thing kind of going on, and her dark, smoky eyes really added to the sultriness. She'd gone for her favourite black heels and a tight blue dress that really highlighted her ass. It was sexy, but still casual, and the low neckline hinted at cleavage without being _too_ slutty for dinner.

"Your make-up looks _fine, _Santana. That's about the hundredth time you've checked it since you've been here. Are you looking to impress somebody?" Santana lifted her gaze from her mirror to see Kurt eyeing her suspiciously from across the table.

"Funnily enough I didn't ask for your opinion, Hummel, although I'm sure you love using a bit of gloss on those lady lips of yours every now and again." She joked. "And I'm not trying to impress _anyone. _I just like to look good. Which I do, all the time." With that she snapped her compact closed and chucked it in her purse. She then turned to Rachel who was sitting to her left. "It's like 10 past. Where the hell are Fabgay and-"

"Brittany!" Rachel squealed before Santana could say the name herself. "Quinn! You guys are here! Wow, you look great." Santana swallowed hard. _Here goes._ When she looked up she had to make a conscious effort not to let her jaw drop all the way to the floor because _holy fucking shit. _

Santana didn't even look at Quinn as the pair made their way over to the table because _Brittany. _She was wearing black heels, the tightest black jeans Santana had ever seen and her _top. _She was pretty sure you couldn't even call it a top because of how little material there was. It was white and sort of lacy and it was cropped so short that pretty much her entire midriff was on show. _Oh she was good. She was very good. _Santana managed to tear her probably bulging eyes away from Brittany's _very_ exposed abs and glanced up to see the blonde looking at her with a wicked smile Santana knew all too well by now. She thought back to earlier in the studio and how Brittany had teased her. _I'll try and wear something that'll cover up my abs. You know, just so you don't lunge at me across the table or something._ And now here she was, standing in front of her in a top that couldn't cover her abs less if it tried.

_Well played, Britt. Well played._

Rachel leapt up from her seat beside her and hugged the two friends. Kurt greeted them cheerily as well, before standing to allow them to take a seat on his side of the table, so that Brittany ended up opposite Santana_._

"Hey Q." Santana greeted one blonde before turning to the other. "Britt." She nodded, trying to regain composure and hide the tugging at the corner of her mouth. "What the hell took you guys so long?"

"Sorry, we would have been on time, but Brittany over here took forever deciding what to wear!" Quinn playfully nudged Brittany's shoulder, who proceeded to turn a light shade of pink.

"Is that so?" Santana raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow and turned to face said blonde, who blushed even more. "You'd have thought that with such little material, that outfit wouldn't have taken long to put on at all?" Giggles erupted from around the table and Brittany was now bright red. Santana was enjoying every second of this.

"Oh don't listen to her, Brittany. You look very hot." Rachel reassured the blonde before rolling her eyes at Santana beside her.

"I never said she didn't look hot, Berry." Santana responded, glancing at Brittany who couldn't hide the tiny smile now appearing at her lips. Her heart fluttered just a little and she could feel the grin pulling at her own mouth.

"Oh. My. Goodness." Kurt lifted his hands up dramatically and an expression of mock horror appeared on his face. "Are my ears deceiving me or did _Santana Maria Lopez_ just give someone a compliment?" The friends laughed again. "I don't think, in allthe many years that I have known and, _well, mostly _loved her, that I have _once _heard Santana give a genuine compliment! Not including those aimed herself of course." He added, grinning devilishly at his Latina friend. "Brittany, you should feel honoured."

"Ha ha very funny." Santana deadpanned, trying to ignore the smug little smile now plastered on Brittany's face. "Just because Aunty Tana likes to keep it real and say it how it is, doesn't mean I _never _give compliments. I totally give compliments." She rolled her eyes and grabbed a menu from in front of her.

"She _totally_ does." Santana's eyes shot up from her menu to see Brittany, wide eyed and clearly a little surprised by what had just slipped out of her mouth.

"She does?" Quinn asked, her brow raised in confusion, or suspicion, or a mixture of the two. _Shit, shit, shit._

"Um… I mean, sure." Brittany stammered, her eyes shifting between Santana and Quinn. "Well, she, uh… saw me at NYADA the other day practicing. And she said I was a good dancer. So yeah, I guess that was a compliment." Brittany waved her hand in the air as if to say _whatever_, and returned to her menu. _Phew, and breathe._ _Good save._ Quinn's face softened and she squeezed Brittany's arm.

"Well, duh, you're an amazing dancer. Everyone knows that. That hardly counts." The others chuckled and Santana joined in, shooting a playful glare in Brittany's direction when everyone had disappeared behind their menus. A few minutes later, and after some light conversation about what they should order, the waiter appeared. He left again once everyone had ordered their meals as well as a couple of bottles of wine for the table, and the group settled back into chatting and laughing.

Having recovered from the close call, Santana decided it was time to start up the teasing again. Brittany's _interesting _choice of top meant that the blonde was now winning and Santana needed to regain the upper ground. She thought back to Lola's and remembered their exchange of flirty texts and smiled to herself. She took her phone from her purse and typed out a message under the table so as not to be seen. Santana held her breath as she saw Brittany's phone vibrate and mentally high fived herself as she watched her cheeks flush pink again.

_Pretty sure that's not the kind of shirt we agreed on Britt. Definitely not complaining tho ;). – Santana_

Brittany lifted her eyes to lock onto Santana's for just a second before smirking and returning her gaze to her lap. The Latina noticed the slightly darker shade of blue her eyes had now turned and she began to feel a little warmer, knowing exactly what that meant. She was right, it _was _a rush flirting like this when her friends were all there and she knew they really shouldn't be. Her own phone then buzzed in her lap and she looked around to check the others were still deep in conversation before glancing down to read her message.

_I was gonna tell u about the change in plan, but that look on your face was so worth it. Just no lunging across the table remember? –Britt_

_Ps. Your boobs look amazing in that dress – Britt_

Ha. Yes. Santana looked up to meet Brittany's eyes because she loved it when she said stuff like that, only to smirk when she found them fixed on her chest. _Things were going pretty well._

**…**

Brittany had been stroking Santana's leg under the table for the past five minutes now. At first, she'd thought it was just Rachel nudging her by accident and shot her a glare. But when it had happened again, this time brushing much higher up her leg and causing Santana to hitch her breath, she was almost certain it was Brittany. And when she looked up to see dark blue eyes boring into her she was _sure _it was. _Holy shit. _When Brittany did it again, without lifting her gaze from Santana, the Latina felt the beginnings of arousal tugging at her stomach._ Do not, I repeat, do not under any circumstances lunge across the table. Control yourself, Lopez._ She took a sip of wine, and tried to focus her attention onto her spinach ravioli and away from the desire pooling between her legs. A few seconds later, Brittany repeated her action once more, this time reaching Santana's thigh, and the Latina choked on her wine. _Smooth._

Having finished coughing and spluttering, she looked up to see a very amused Brittany and a very puzzled Quinn, Rachel and Kurt.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked her, eyeing her friend strangely.

"I, uh… Yeah. Just need to go to the bathroom." Santana blurted out because _fuck she needed to get out of there. _She got up from the table and, shooting Brittany a look, made her way to the back of the restaurant and into the ladies toilets. Seeing no one was in there, she stood in front of the sinks and stared at her reflection in the mirror. _Deep breaths. All is okay. You just happen to be kind of turned on whilst at supper with four of your closest friends. No big deal. Fuuckk. _

She stayed there still for a moment, eyes closed, and hands gripping onto the counter in front of her. Her eyes shot open when she heard the door open and her stomach did a sort of somersault thing when she saw her.

"Recovered?" Brittany took a slow step into the bathroom, holding Santana's gaze in the mirror. Her eyes twinkled with something like mischief and her lips were curved up into a wicked smile.

"_So_ not fair, Britt-Britt." The Latina smiled back at her in the reflection but stayed still, hands still face down on the counter, her breathing still heavy.

"Who me?" Brittany said in her most innocent tone which lifted her smile wider. She took another step closer and Santana could feel her heart rate quickening again as Brittany lifted her hands and placed them slowly on top of Santana's on the counter. Her body tingled in the most delicious way at the skin on skin contact she'd been craving all evening. "You're the one wearing the super sexy dress, Santana." She watched as Brittany's eyes dropped to glance at her pushed up cleavage in the mirror, and then back up to meet her own. She shivered as she felt the blonde's hands move from their place on hers and trace their way slowly up her bare arms. _Wow. _Santana's body began to heat up and suddenly she noticed the familiarity of their position. Just like earlier in the dance studio, Brittany was pressed right up behind Santana, her lips lightly ghosting her neck and their eyes locked in the mirror._ Oh god, not again. She would definitely not be able to resist a second time._

Tearing her eyes away from the mirror, Santana twisted herself around so she was facing her friend and looked up at her with her sexiest smile. She placed her hands on the blonde's waist and _holy shit she'd forgotten about the top. _Her breath hitched in her throat as she felt Brittany's bare stomach against her touch. Santana heard Brittany inhale sharply as she traced her hands across the contours of her abs and felt them tighten under her. _Wow again._ "Fuck, Britt. You're… seriously going to blame… my dress?" Santana asked between staggered breaths, looking back up briefly to meet dark blue eyes, before dropping her gaze again to Brittany's stomach because _holy shit. _She just had to stare at it, probably grinning like a kid in a candy store but she didn't care because she _really _wanted to try this candy. She wanted to taste it and lick it and-

"Santana?" She shot he eyes back up to see Brittany smirking. "You're clearly super _hungry_," She said, sliding her hands over Santana's which were still resting on her stomach. "But the waiter's probably brought dessert out now, so how about we go back in and eat that instead?" She giggled as the Latina blushed and pulled her hands back down to her sides.

"_Tease_." Santana returned, shooting a mock glare up at the blonde, but when she tried to move, a hand gripped onto her waist and stopped her. Brittany leaned in close and brushed her lips ever so lightly over Santana's ear.

"I'm gonna be teasing you all night, Santana." And with that she grinned, spun on her heels and skipped out of the bathroom, leaving a rather hot and bothered Santana behind her. _Fuck. _

**…**

Brittany hadn't lied when she said she'd be teasing her all night.

As soon as she'd sat back down at the table, the blonde's foot had returned to its place on Santana's leg and began again its slow movements up and down. It had made it almost impossible for her to eat her pudding, what with her hands shaking each time she lifted the spoon to her mouth or reached for her glass of wine. Even the cold ice cream had given no relief to the intense heat rushing over her body, and her dizziness, partly from the wine, mostly due to the growing arousal between her legs, hadn't subsided even by the end of the meal. Even as she'd joked and laughed a long with the others, Brittany's eyes kept falling back to rest on her, flicking down to her chest, and then back up to meet her own. And when the group had decided to move onto Lola's – it was a Saturday after all – the fresh air as they made their way across the street to the bar hadn't helped cool her down one bit. Santana was feeling very hot, and extremely turned on.

This feeling was only intensified as the five of them joined the crowd of hot and sweaty bodies filling up the bar. Santana therefore jumped at Kurt's suggestion to go get some drinks. Pushing her way past various groups of people chatting and laughing, she heaved herself onto a stool and took a sigh of relief.

"Puckerman! Drink. Now." Puck turned around from behind the bar and grinned.

"Alright, Lezpez?" He began pouring vodka into a glass but before he could add any soda, Santana grabbed it and knocked it back in one, grimacing as it burned her throat. Puck eyed her questioningly. "You're looking a little flustered, everything good?" She didn't answer, but gestured with her hand for another. _Fuck, she needed that. _Puck poured a second drink and handed it to her, looking over his friend's shoulder and smiling at the others sitting in their usual booth. "Oh, I get it." Puck sniggered. "Blondie's here. _That's_ why you're all hot and bothered, huh?"

"Oh fuck off, Puck." Santana rolled her eyes and knocked back another gulp. _So much better. _"Now be a good boy and go gets me some drinks for the table."

"Sure thing. Shots?"

"No!" Santana almost shouted. "No shots." _Dear god no. Body shots were not going to happen tonight._ Puck chuckled and shook his head.

Returning to the group and setting the tray of drinks down on the table, Santana looked around and swallowed hard when she saw the only free space was next to Brittany. She sat down tentatively. Another wave of heat flooded over her body as she felt her thigh brush against the blonde's. _How was it that just one touch had that much of an effect on her?_

"Hey." Brittany said quietly from beside her and she turned to meet blue eyes once again and whispered _hi._

"Drink?" Santana then asked, smiling and handing Brittany a cup filled with pink liquid.

"Thanks." The Latina caught her breath suddenly when she felt a gentle squeeze on her knee. Her heart began to race when Brittany's hand didn't move. Instead, it travelled further up her thigh and began to play with the hem of her dress. _Holy mother of-_

"_Britt_." Santana tried to whisper as quietly as possible and shot her a sideways look, because this could _not _happen at the table. Sure, the others were deep in conversation and probably a little drunk, and Brittany's had on her leg was completely hidden under the table, but still. Brittany responded with a giggle_, _before moving her hand away from her dress, only to begin drawing soft circles on the inside of her thigh. Santana took a deep breath because _oh my god that felt incredible. _Like, her head felt kind of light and her skin felt hot and her whole body was tingling deliciously and _was it possible to come just from someone touching your thigh?_

Desperately trying to distract herself, Santana turned to the others. "What are you losers chatting about?" Her voice was a little shaky.

"You, actually." Kurt deadpanned. The finger drawing patterns on her thigh froze.

"What? Why?" Her heart began to race for an entirely different reason.

"Nothing to panic about, Satan. We were just discussing your performance that's coming up." _Phew. _"It's on Wednesday yes? How's it coming along?"

"Oh, right." Santana's body tensed again as Brittany's hand returned to grazing across her bare thigh. "Um…" _Oh god. _"Yeah, uh, good. P-Pretty freaking awesome actually." She added with shrug and took another sip of her drink.

"I bet it is, Santana. I wish I could dance like you can. You were always so much better than the rest of us in glee club." Rachel said with a sigh. _Suck up._ "Brittany, have you seen Santana dance?" The Latina felt her cheeks burning. Brittany's fingers travelled a little further over her thigh, not helping matters, and her mind flashed back to earlier in the dance studio. She remembered how Brittany's hands had brushed against her stomach and teased along the waistband of her sweats. Her stomach tightened as the recalled how the blonde had pushed her up against the mirror and attacked her neck and _oh- _Santana's hips jerked suddenly as Brittany pinched the skin of her thigh dangerously close to her underwear.

"No, not yet." Brittany lied, her voice a little lower than usual. "I bet she's really good though." Her fingers began their teasing movements once again and Santana had to bite her lip to fight the smile or moan or _something_ that was trying to get out.

"Brittany you should totally help Santana practice." Quinn chimed in, her voice laced with something a little mischievous, eyeing the Latina who could feel her cheeks still burning. "Brittany's like a dancing _prodigy. _She got scholarship to Julliard, you know." Santana turned to look at Brittany, whose hand had disappeared from her leg and was now looking down shyly.

"Really, Britt? How come you're at NYADA then?" Santana questioned with a furrowed brow, a little surprised by this news, and a lot disappointed by the loss of contact.

"Oh, um…" Brittany said in a small voice. "I didn't really like it Julliard, so I transferred to NYADA. I just-"

"Britts!" The blonde was cut off by a guy's voice, and the group of friends turned to see another blonde standing over the table beaming brightly. _Fucking Sam._

"Hey, Sam." Brittany chirped, her eyes darting from the preppy-looking boy and back to Santana. He asked if she wanted to go get a drink, and Santana felt that heat rush over her again. Not the tingly, delicious feeling that she'd had before, but the kind Santana had felt when she'd seen Sam last. The unpleasant, nagging kind that felt a lot like jealousy. She said _sure_ and Santana's chest tightened.

"Santana, you coming?" _Huh?_ She turned to Brittany who was now standing and smiling down at her, and Santana felt herself relax again. _She _was the one who had kissed Brittany, she was the one who had _been _kissing Brittany, and she was the one who Brittany was now looking at with those darkened blue eyes, not Sam. _Ha_. She got up and took the hand that was held out for her, smiling at the way their fingers intertwined. The two blondes took up stools next to each other at the bar, but Santana remained standing. She placed her hands protectively on Brittany's shoulder – she didn't like the flirty wink Sam had given her when he'd ordered their drinks.

"Looking good tonight, Britts." He drawled, glancing down to her toned stomach when she turned towards the bar. _Oh, hell no._ She giggled a thank you and the two of them started to gossip about some friends of theirs. Every now and again Brittany would gently squeeze one of Santana's hands which were holding their firm grip on her shoulders, but the Latina couldn't help the pangs of jealousy which were pulling at her stomach. She knew she couldn't freak out like last time, that was bad, but then again so much had happened since then. Brittany had kissed her and called her beautiful, and she still didn't know quite what the deal was between her and _Guppy Lips_, but she sure as hell didn't want her leering all over her girl. Not that she was _her _girl, but you know. _Whatever_. She wanted her to herself tonight.

Santana lifted a hand off one of Brittany's shoulders to take a large gulp of her drink, before returning it, this time a little lower, and began trailing her index finger up and down her bare arm. She heard Brittany's breath hitch a little and smirked. Santana moved her other hand and started to trace small, light circles on the back of her neck, like she had been doing on her thigh and she felt Brittany's muscles tense underneath her touch. _See? _Brittany wanted her, she knew it, and the throbbing that had returned to between her legs told Santana that she wanted the blonde just as much. When Sam turned to speak to Puck behind bar, she slowly brushed Brittany's hair away from her neck and leaned in close enough to watch her shiver as her breath hit her exposed skin.

"Britt." She whispered, she _teased_, and watched her friend swallow hard. "_Britt."_ She said again, before brushing her lips lightly over her earlobe.

"Hmm…?" It sounded somewhere between a hum and a kind of whimper and Santana felt her stomach twinge in response. _Fuck, she wanted to hear that sound again._

"I want you…" The Latina breathed into her ear, barely a whisper and watched as Brittany bit her lip. She glanced up at Sam quickly to check he was still preoccupied before turning her attention back to Brittany. "_So _bad right now." The blonde's eyes closed for a second and Santana could tell she was just as turned on as she was. Santana smirked to herself, and went to lift her hand again to pick up her drink but Brittany's shot up and held it still.

"Sam." She said, her voice low and raspy. "I have to go, um… talk to Santana for a sec." _Talk. Ha. _Brittany stood up suddenly and tightened her grasp on Santana's hand. Sam turned to Brittany before eyeing the Latina disapprovingly.

"Um… Okay, sure. See you in a bit." He looked a little deflated but smiled and waved all the same. He glanced – or _glared -_ briefly again at Santana before the two girls turned away. Brittany practically dragged Santana over towards the other side of the room, leading her through the crowds of bodies, her hand still tightly wrapped around her own. She loved seeing Brittany like this, seeing the way she could drive her crazy with just a little touch or a few whispered words; she loved knowing how much Brittany wanted her, and her body ached at how much she wanted her back. Before they reached the bathroom however, which was where Santana had assumed Brittany was taking her, the blonde turned and pushed open a door marked _Fire Exit._

Once outside in a deserted alleyway behind the club, Brittany turned and pushed Santana against the wall. She looked at her with her piercing blue eyes and smiled a _hey._ Her voice was low and her breathing was heavy, and Santana held her breath as she looked into the stare of those eyes now dark with lust. The blonde's hands gripped her waist and before Santana could speak, before she could tell her what a tease she'd been, or how badly she'd wanted to kiss her all night, Brittany's lips crashed onto her own. Santana moaned into her mouth as she felt the other girl's tongue begin exploring and brushing against her own. Her hands shot up to grip onto Brittany's neck and pull her closer, deepening the kiss because _holy fuck she wanted more. _A wave of pleasure cursed through her body and she groaned as she felt all the built up heat and tension sort of explode within her. The arousal between her legs burned hotter as Brittany pressed her body right up against her and she moaned again as she felt the blonde's breasts pushed up against hers.

"I've been waiting to do this all night." Brittany whispered as her lips left hers and attacked her throat, her voice thick with arousal. Santana felt her head spin as lips sucked and teeth grazed her neck.

"You're so fucking hot, Britt." Santana gasped, pulling her hands from the blonde's neck to slide against the bare skin of her stomach and _fuck-_ Brittany's abs tightened under her touch and _holy shit, she didn't think she'd been this turned on, like, ever. _"You… really shouldn't have… worn this top-" She let out between staggered breaths, before Brittany's lips once again found her own. The blonde moaned as Santana sucked her bottom lip. Her tongue once again began to explore her mouth as Brittany's body crashed harder against hers and she could feel her heart bounding and her arousal throbbing and-

"_Britt-" _She groaned again as the blonde's hands fell to her ass and gripped it tight. The hands proceeded to slide down her bare thighs and her whole body felt hot as her fingers gripped and lifted her up. Santana's legs wrapped tightly around the blonde's waist and her hands shot up to grip the back of her neck once more. They both pulled away a little in need of air, breathing heavily, and Santana bit her lip as she watched Brittany's breasts lifting up and down as her chest heaved. The hands on her thighs made their way back to her ass, pushing up her dress and she moaned again, before pressing her lips to Brittany's neck. She heard the blonde groan her name as she pushed out her tongue dragged it hard across her throat before sucking at the skin just below her jaw.

"_Santana-" _She gasped out again and _fuck, she loved the way she said her name. _Santana felt Brittany's hand on her hot cheek and she lifted her head back enough to look into blue eyes and _wow. _She was sure Brittany had never looked more beautiful than right now, in this exact moment. Her eyes were hooded and dark with lust, her lips pink from kissing and her hair was tousled in such a sexy way that Santana couldn't help but press another kiss to her lips, this time short and soft. She lifted her head back again to see Brittany smiling at her, not the mischievous, seductive way she had before, but an adorable, genuine smile. "Hey." She said again, her voice still low but it was soft and she sounded so sweet that Santana melted. She was still panting and her legs were still wrapped around the blonde's waist and her centre, where it was pressed up against her, was still throbbing, but she felt so content and safe right now.

"Hey yourself." Santana whispered back, peppering small, soft kisses on her friend's lips and over her cheeks. "I've been wanting to kiss you all evening." Brittany beamed back at her. "And _you,_" Santana continued, letting herself be lowered back to her feet and readjusting her dress. "Are _such _a fucking tease." She poked Brittany playfully who giggled.

"You have to admit it was kinda fun though." Brittany replied with a smile, taking the Latina's hands and stroking her thumbs gently over them. "It was such a turn on seeing you all hot and bothered at the table." She whispered, leaning in closer to press another soft kiss to Santana's lips.

"Oh, _so _much fun." The Latina said with a playful eye roll once they'd broken apart.

"And the whole jealous thing looks really hot on you." Brittany replied with a wink and giggled at the eye roll she received in return. "But really, Santana." She continued, her tone a little more serious and her thumbs still stroking soft patterns on Santana's hands. "That was pretty amazing." She smiled and Santana smiled back.

"It really was." Santana replied sincerely. She wasn't sure if any words could really describe what that was, but _amazing_ was definitely a start.

"Santana," The blonde said quietly and _holy shit _she loved the way her name sounded on Brittany's lips. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

_Oh my god._

**…**


	10. Chapter 10

Here's another one for ya! Enjoy and let me know what you think! x

Chapter 10:

_Can I stay with you tonight?_

The words hung in the air and Santana swallowed hard. Her heart began to race. She wanted that, _so _badly. She wanted to take her home and hold her in her arms and never let her go. She wanted _Brittany. _But _was that okay?_ She couldn't get enough of flirting with Brittany, and kissing her and it didn't really matter so much anymore that she was a girl, but Santana knew she was starting to feel something for the blonde – something more than just the arousal that was still pounding in her body – and that scared her.

A lot.

"Santana?" Her voice was so soft and so caring. Brittany's eyes were searching her own, looking for something, answers maybe. Answers as to why Santana was suddenly breathing so quickly and why her heart felt like it could burst out of her chest.

"Brittany I… I don't know if I can… or if I _should…_" Santana stammered, trailing off with a sigh and looking down at the ground. Brittany lifted one of her hands from Santana's and placed it gently on the Latina's cheek.

"Hey." She said in possibly the gentlest and sweetest way Santana had ever heard. She lifted her gaze from the ground and back up to meet blue eyes looking at her with so much affection. Santana whispered a small _hi _back and felt her breathing start to slow down as Brittany stroked the backs of her fingers across her cheek with the most soothing of touches. "Santana, baby, it's okay. I don't want you to feel… I know you're scared. We don't have to do anything, I just want to be with you. I don't want to leave you yet. Is that okay?" She asked, her other hand lifting Santana's up to her lips and placing a soft kiss to her palm. Santana nodded slowly, because that's exactly what she wanted too. She _didn't _want Brittany to leave her yet, she didn't think she ever wanted Brittany to leave her. Sure, she was scared, and confused as to what that meant, but the way the blonde was now looking at her, the way she was soothing and calming her with her touch, made all of that fear sort of drift away for now.

Brittany captured Santana's lips in another soft kiss and she felt her concerns and her doubts melt away even further. This was _Brittany._ It _was_ okay. "Okay." Santana voiced her thoughts as she broke the kiss and Brittany smiled back at her.

"Okay?" She replied, her voice light and hopeful, her smile spreading wider.

"Okay." She affirmed, squeezing Brittany's hand in her own. Suddenly her brow furrowed in concern. "What about the others though?" Brittany's frown matched her own and her nose scrunched up in confusion, which Santana thought was adorable and couldn't help but peck a quick kiss to it. The blonde giggled. _Again, adorable._

"It'll be fine. We'll just tell them I don't want to walk all the way home so I'm gonna stay at yours." She smiled sweetly before leading Santana back towards the door. The brunette hesitated though. She could already tell her friends were a little suspicious of _something_ – after all, they all knew at least little about Santana's _tendencies – _but the thought of them finding out about this was terrifying for her. It would be… well, let's just not go there. They couldn't know about whatever this was, she wasn't ready for that.

"You'll make it sound casual?" Santana asked in a tiny voice when Brittany turned around to see why she had paused.

"I can _totally _do casual." The blonde grinned and squeezed her hand, pulling her gently through the door and back into the crowded bar. It was a bit of a shock when they were immediately hit with the pounding bass of the music and the heat from the crowd of sweaty bodies on the dance floor. Santana had kind of forgotten there was a whole world going on away from their little secluded alleyway. She'd been lost in her _Brittany bubble _again, and didn't really like the loudness and the craziness she was now returning to, so gripped onto Brittany's hand tighter.

They got back to the booth to find Kurt and Rachel, but no Quinn. She slipped her hand from Brittany's and let it fall to her side as the others noticed them and smiled. Rachel, clearly a little merry, leapt up and flung her arms around her two friends. _Classic drunk Berry._

"Guys! I missed yoouuu!" She cried, beaming at them and wobbling slightly before returning to her seat.

"Wish we could say the same, Berry." Santana replied with a chuckle from where she and Brittany were still stood.

"Where did you two disappear off to?" Kurt piped up, his eyes narrowing on the two girls.

"Oh, uh… Britts and I just went to get some fresh air. It's like a fucking sauna in this joint." She answered, trying her best to sound light and breezy and totally normal.

"Yeah, we just came to tell you guys that we're going to head off. I'm not feeling too well, so." Brittany explained, lifting a hand to her stomach for effect. _Nice touch._ "Where's Quinn? I need to tell her I'm going back with Santana."

"Yeah, we don't have money for a cab and I didn't think Britt should walk home by herself so I said she could crash at ours." Santana added, mentally giving herself a pat on the back because she was _totally_ sounding casual.

"Of course youus can!" Rachel slurred, smiling widely at her friends. "And Quinn tolldd us to tell you… that… Quinn said that, wait, what was again it Kurt?" She giggled and turned to Kurt opposite her. He laughed and shook his head and his drunk friend.

"Quinn said to say that she's gone home. Something about an assignment or something. Anyway she's really sorry." He said off before taking another sip of his extremely girly looking cocktail. _Perfect, no need to deal with Quinn._ She glanced to Brittany who smiled back at her and they said their goodbyes.

**…**

"You have such a cool place!" Brittany squealed, her eyes wide with excitement as she entered the apartment behind Santana.

"Glad you like it." Her friend smiled and chucked her keys on the coffee table. "Want some tea or-"

"Hot chocolate!" Brittany practically yelled, before smiling shyly. "S-sorry, I just really like hot chocolate. With marshmallows. And rainbow sprinkles." Santana couldn't help but chuckle at how adorable the blonde was.

"It's okay, Britt-Britt. I loves me a bit of cocoa too. I'll go heavy on the sprinkles." She added with a wink and made her way over to the kitchen area. Brittany scanned her eyes around the room, taking in the large, open-plan apartment. Santana had to admit, she loved it here. They'd got it cheap, and it hadn't been much when they'd moved in two years ago, but her, Rachel and Kurt had definitely made it their own. The wooden floorboards and high ceilings gave it a cool, kind of rustic feel and various posters were hung on the walls - mostly cool band pictures, a few artsy shots and of course a few _hideous_ Broadway monstrosities that Santana had been outnumbered on. Over by the TV, a couple of comfy looking couches were arranged around a coffee table, and a large pool table sat in the corner, a moving-in present from Santana's Abuela.

"I LOVE pool!" Brittany squealed again as Santana returned with two mugs of cocoa. "We should totally play sometime."

"Okay, Britt, but Imma have to warn you, Aunty Tana's like a freaking genius at pool. I would totally go pro if you didn't have to wear those ugly ass waistcoat things." Santana grinned at a giggling Brittany before handing her a mug.

"Oh bring it on, baby. I may look dumb but I sure as hell know to work those balls."

"_Wanky."_ Santana replied with an eyebrow wiggle at the blushing blonde. "So you want the grand tour of casa di Lopez or what?" Brittany nodded as she popped one of the mini marshmallows into her mouth. _Still so cute._ She took Brittany's hand and led her out of the living area and into the corridor, pointing out the bathroom as she went. "…And through there's Grandma Berry's room, you won't wanna see that, it's full to the brim with god awful fluffy pillows and cuddly toys. Not to mention a full on _shrine _to Barbara Streisand – it's pretty intense." She twirled her finger by her head to motion the sign for _crazy _and continued down the door. "Then that's Lady Hummel's room. Again, we definitely don't wanna go in, fuck knows what kind of twisted boy on boy loving goes on in there. _And…"_ She said, reaching the end of the corridor. "Welcome to dormitorio di Santana. By far the best room in the house." She grinned at Brittany before turning the handle and pushing open the door.

"_So, _this is where the magic happens huh?" Brittany asked with a wink, looking around her. Two walls were painted a deep red, while the others were left white. Cool album covers and various photos decorated them, and her large double bed was pushed up against the far wall, a leopard print blanket tossed over it.

"You know it. Can't have a fine ass like mine and _not _have any magic happen. It's pretty exhausting being this hot all the time." She joked, smirking at her friend before sitting down on the bed. She patted the space next to her and Brittany immediately joined her, taking a large gulp of her hot chocolate. "You should feel honoured, Britt. I never let any of my friends in my room. Not even Quinn. And the one time Berry tried to come in… well, let's just say it wasn't pretty."

"I feel _extremely_ honoured, Santana." She grinned and placed the sweetest of kisses on the Latina's cheek. Santana didn't know that she was able to swoon, or really what the hell _swooning_ even was, but she was pretty sure that's exactly what she was doing right now. Her smile was so wide she thought seriously about the possibility of her cheeks splitting, and she couldn't help but stare back into those eyes adoringly. She couldn't really imagine anywhere else she'd rather be right now, a thought that would normally make her cringe seeing as it was a Saturday night, barely 11.30 and she was at home drinking hot chocolate. But really, it was kind of perfect. "Let's play a game!" Brittany squealed, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Ooh, okay." Santana twisted round to face her friend, a little excited. "What kind of game are we talking about Miss Pierce?"

"A question game." Santana's eyes narrowed at the blonde. "Come on, it'll be fun!" Brittany sang, tugging at Santana's sleeve. "We used to know, like, literally every single tiny thing about each other when we were younger and so now we have a lot of catching up to do. Remember those sleepovers we used to have where we'd stay up late and tell stories and secrets?" Santana nodded and her insides warmed at the memory.

"Okay, Britt-Britt I'm in." She affirmed, grinning at the blonde and shuffling so she was sitting crossed-legged on the bed. Brittany copied her position after setting her empty mug down on the floor. Santana eyed her curiously. "You've seriously finished your cocoa already? Britt, that literally took you about two seconds." The blonde pouted adorably.

"What? I told you I really like hot chocolate. And you make an extra specially yummy one so..." Santana chuckled and shook her head. "Anyway, stop trying to delay the questions. Favourite colour – go." Brittany said, her expression becoming one of all serious and Santana couldn't help but giggle again.

"Britt, that's like the lamest question ever! I thought these were gonna be, you know, _wanky _questions." She wiggled her eye brows and the blonde pushed her playfully.

"My game, my rules. Besides, we have to start of slow. We'll get to the _wanky_ questions later." She winked and Santana's stomach clenched. She was still feeling kind of aroused from their little _escapade _in the alleyway. "Now, go. Favourite colour. These are meant to be quick fire questions."

"Okay, okay. Red." Brittany looked up at her walls and rolled her eyes at the obvious answer. "My turn." Santana continued, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "Favourite animal."

"Easy. Ducks. They're super cute." Santana smiled and her heart melted just a little. If anyone else said that she would definitely think it was lame, but this girl was just so goddam cute. "Favourite movie?"

"Mean girls." The Latina answered quickly. "Regina George is totally my idol. You'd think that girl lived in Lima Heights what with all those perfectly executed insults of hers." Brittany laughed. "Okay, um… Favourite food?"

"Ice cream! No, wait- milkshakes. Wait, wait, no- the shrimp they do at Breadstix!" The blonde shrieked. "Remember how we used to go there like basically every day back in Lima?" Brittany's smile was now of epic proportions and she was bouncing on the bed like an excited little kid.

"Yes! Oh my god I _love _that place. Those breadsticks are like the freaking best things _ever_. Jesus, I haven't thought about that in forever." She sighed and the two smiled at each other, remembering the fun they used to have there. "Okay. Favourite ice cream flavour. Go!"

"Chocolate! I mean, vanilla. No um… rocky road! Wait! Ahh-" Santana giggled and prodded the blonde playfully the ribs.

"Brittanyyy, this is supposed to be _quick fire, _remember?"

The two continued like this for ages, firing off questions and laughing at each other's silly answers. They'd had enough to drink that their spirits were high and they kept giggling hysterically, but they weren't drunk, just a little _merry._

"First person you had sex with." Brittany suddenly said, a good 20 minutes or so into their game, a little to Santana's surprise.

"_Oh. _So now we're getting to the wanky ones huh?" She said with a smirk and Brittany blushed a little. "Okay, urgh, Puck. Gross, not my finest moment. You?"

"Puck, really?" Brittany asked eyes wide and letting out a little giggle. "He's hot if you like the whole mo-hawk thing I guess. Uh, this guy Freddie Wilson. Totally cute, in the football team. I was only 15 though, I kinda regret not waiting for someone a little more special you know?" She said quietly, dropping her gaze to her hands sitting in her lap.

"Aw, Britt-Britt. Such a romantic." Santana teased, reaching over and squeezing one of her hands in her own. "Okay, let me think… First time you kissed a girl." Santana's hand stayed holding the blonde's as she waited for her answer. She was really interested. She felt like she wanted to know everything about this girl.

"Um, my friend Stacey in a game of spin the bottle. We both were pretty drunk and we got a little bit too _into_ it. Everyone just gawped at us while we made out for like 2 whole minutes. It was kinda awkward." Brittany said with a blush and a little giggle. Santana giggled too. "Don't laugh, it was really embarrassing! Okay, my turn. Hmm… First time you, _you know, _with a girl." The Latina froze a little and darted her eyes up to look at the blonde.

"What?"

"_You know. _Had sex. Did the nasty. Bumped uglies?" Brittany chuckled, prodding Santana on the shoulder.

"Oh um…" She pulled her hand away from Brittany's and started fiddling with the blanket beneath them.

"Santana? It's okay, you don't have to answer."

"No, Britt. It's fine. I just… I never really talk about this, you know? I mean sure, Puck, being the delightful human being that he is, always teases and gives me banter about it and it's no big deal. But, I don't know… I've always kind of brushed it off as not meaning anything." She sighed. "I totally freaked out the first time, you know, _it _happened." She glanced up shyly at Brittany who was staring back at her with that adorably loving look again.

"I completely understand, Santana. You can tell me anything though, you know that, right? If you wanna talk about it, it might help to tell someone." She said softly, taking the Latina's hand in both of her own and squeezing tight.

"There's nothing much to tell I guess. I was wasted and it was at a club. I mean, sure, she was totally hot." She gave a tiny smile to the blonde before continuing. "But it freaked me out so much. I'd kissed girls and stuff before, but that was easier just to shrug off as something innocent and _normal. _But anyway, I totally panicked and bailed the hell outta there straight after." Santana grimaced at the memory. She'd slept with loads of girls since then but she'd always been drunk and brushed it aside as nothing, experimenting or whatever. "I just… I've never let myself _feel _anything for a girl. Like _really _feel something. Fuck, I've never really let myself feel anything for anyone. Not until…" She trailed off and looked down at her hands intertwined with Brittany's in her lap.

"Until now?" Brittany continued for her, lifting Santana's gaze up to meet her own. She nodded slowly, her heart beginning to race again. She found it so difficult talking about this stuff. It was terrifying in fact. "Santana," Brittany whispered, squeezing her hand tight and shuffling a little closer. "I _feel _something for you too. In fact, I feel kinda a whole lot for you. And I know it's confusing and I know it's scary but it doesn't have to be. It can just be-" But before she could finish Santana had closed the distance between them and claimed Brittany's lips in her own. She had needed to hear those words. She hadn't realised quite how much until now, but all she could think about was kissing her. She wanted to feel her lips against her own once more, to feel close to her, to feel safe.

Brittany moaned into her mouth as the Latina's hand grasped the back of her neck. Their tongues found each other's and Santana felt the arousal tugging at her stomach once again. Santana pushed Brittany down so she was lying flat against the bed and straddled her waist. She looked into those blue eyes, darkened with lust as they had been before and leaned in again to take her lips in her own. Her hands moved to sit on the mattress either side of the blonde's head and she felt Brittany's grasp her waist. Brittany pulled her down on top of her so their bodies were flush against each other and _fuck, that felt incredible. _Santana moaned in pleasure as Brittany's hips bucked up into her own and she felt her heat throbbing between her legs. Once again she couldn't think straight. She felt light but everything felt really heavy at the same time. She couldn't suppress the whimper she let out as Brittany's hands gripped onto her ass, pulling the Latina closer against her and _holy fuck._ The blonde's hips bucked against her once more and their centres pressed hard together. _Fuck._

"_Britt-" _She gasped, arousal taking over her body, and moved to place hard kisses along Brittany's neck.

"_Santana_." She moaned as the Latina dragged her tongue over her throat and down between her breasts. Suddenly Santana froze. She looked up at Brittany, who was panting, her breathing quick and her chest heaving up and down. _Oh my god_ she looked so beautiful right now. Something like guilt rushed over Santana as hooded blue eyes lifted to meet her own. She'd done this before, a thousand times. She'd let her arousal and her desire take over before and she'd had sex with girls and refused for it to mean anything beyond her own satisfaction. But this was different. This was _Brittany. _And she couldn't do this, not now, not when they'd been drinking and not when so many things were left unsaid. The strangest thing for Santana, was that this time she _wanted _it to be different. She wanted Brittany to know how she felt about her, hell she wanted to know _herself _how she felt. She was good at sex, she knew that, but she wasn't good at the rest of it. And she wanted it to be right.

"Britt, I…" She breathed, still panting heavily. Santana sat up, her legs still straddling the blonde and looked down at her, trying her best to ignore the arousal burning through her body. "I want this to be… special." She said, searching the blue eyes in front of her and watching as they crinkled along with her grin.

"Y-yeah?" Brittany asked through her smile, her breathing still heavy too.

"Yeah, I…" Brittany sat up too and Santana let her arms rest around the blonde's neck. "I don't want this to be like… like all the other times. This is different. I- I want this to be different. It needs to be." She explained as best she could, unable to stop the matching smile now forming at her lips.

"I want that too, Santana." Brittany replied softly, sliding her arms around the Latina's waist who was still sitting in her lap. "So much." She placed a soft kiss on Santana's lips and felt the Latina smile into her.

"Do you have any idea how much will power that just took from me?" Santana asked with a chuckle as they flopped down onto the pillows and snuggled into each other. "Like, I deserve a freaking medal or something. You look so fucking beautiful right now, Britt." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around her friend's waist. Brittany giggled adorably.

"So do you, Santana. I haven't been able to take my eyes of you all night." The blonde smiled back, leaning in and kissing Santana again. They both sighed contently and Brittany placed her arm around the Latina's back, pulling her closer. "This kind of reminds me of our sleepovers when we were little. You know, minus the kissing part." She giggled again as Santana nuzzled into her neck.

"Does that mean we can tell secrets?" Santana asked in a shy voice.

"Of course!" She replied, pressing her lips to Santana's forehead. "The night is still young my friend. You go first."

"Okay." Santana said with a grin, pulling back slightly and resting her hand on her hand. "I… I really like this, Britt. I think we've got a good thing going on here. And… I haven't felt really _good _about something in a long time." She said in a tiny voice, smiling shyly up at the blonde, who shuffled slightly to mirror her position.

"I think so too." She replied with the sweetest of smiles. "Okay, my turn. You're like, kind of my favourite person. You sort of always have been. Like, if I had to choose one person in the entire world you'd definitely be on top of the list." Santana's heart fluttered and her stomach flipped because _oh my goodness that was probably the cutest thing anyone has ever said in the history of cuteness._ She grinned and pressed her lips to Brittany's as softly as she possibly could.

"Okay, I have one. You remember in second grade when you got that valentine from Matty Thomas?" Brittany nodded, her brow furrowing slightly. "Well… that was actually from me." Santana admitted in a tiny voice before burying her face in Brittany's neck.

"_What?!"_ Brittany squealed, hitting her friend playfully on the shoulder. "But I boasted to everyone about that for like a week!"

"I'm sorry!" Santana shouted, sitting up and lifting her hands in mock surrender. "I just knew how much you liked him and I didn't want to see you upset. I _hate _seeing you upset, Britt-Britt." She said a little softer, lifting her hand up to stroke Brittany's cheek gently.

"_Fine."_ Brittany replied with a playful glare. "I guess that was kind of sweet. You know, that you had the hots for me even back when we were like 8." She teased, receiving a shove from her friend. "Okay, my go. I… I want to go, like, on a _date_ with you. Would that be alright?" Brittany asked softly, reaching her hand to carefully tuck a stray bit of hair behind Santana's ear. The Latina's stomach tightened and she tried to take a deep breath although she was pretty sure she'd stopped breathing all together. She had never been on a date with a girl, _ever. _Fuck, she couldn't remember the last time she'd been on a date with anyone that wasn't more than just a hook-up.

"Brittany…" She said quietly, not sure what to say or how she was feeling. Sure, she was terrified by the idea, but somewhere in her chest she felt her heart flutter and she knew a tiny smile was tugging at her lips, because this was _Brittany._

"Santana, it'll be fun I swear. I just… I wanna do this properly you know? I really like you." The blonde said bashfully and lifted her hand to squeeze Santana's arm, before running her index finger slowly down the length of it with the softest of touches. Santana smiled, remembering how she used to do that back when they were kids.

"Okay." She whispered barely audibly so that Brittany had to lean in close to hear her.

"Okay? Is that a yes?" Brittany asked, eyes wide.

"Okay. Yes. Brittany, I will go on a date with you." _Holy fuck _those words sounded weird coming from her in all honesty, they sounded pretty great too. The blonde grinned enormously and kissed Santana hard. They snuggled into each other, and Brittany wrapped her arms tighter around her friend. They both sighed happily as they broke apart, and Santana lifted her head to rest on Brittany's chest. "Night, Britt-Britt." She said, feeling her eyelids drooping sleepily. Brittany whispered _goodnight_ back and the two girls drifted off to sleep, smiling contently and snuggled into each other's arms.

**…**

Santana awoke the next morning with a warm, happy feeling. She could feel a sleepily smile stretched across her face and she felt so safe and content. She yawned and turned to roll over but was stopped by arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders. _What the fuck? _Suddenly the memory of last night flooded over her in a wave of warmth and sent a delicious tingle through her body. _Brittany. _Santana fluttered open a lazy eye and couldn't help but catch her breath. Brittany looked stunning. Like, she probably thought this to herself every time she saw her but, seriously, she just looked so peaceful, eyes closed, a tiny smile on her pink lips and her breathing slow and gentle, lifting Santana up and down with her with each breath in and out. _Wow._

Santana snuggled further into the blonde, gently so as not to disturb her, but she couldn't stop herself from dusting her lips ever so lightly to her cheek. Brittany's skin was so warm and soft and Santana had to press her lips against it again, this time just at the corner of her mouth. Although she thought she could probably watch Brittany sleeping forever because she just looked so goddam cute, she decided she wanted _Awake Brittany _even more. Santana slowly slid herself so that she was lying on top of the blonde, careful not to let her whole weight squash her and began to trace soft patterns with her finger over Brittany's deliciously smooth skin. "Britt." She whispered, ghosting her lips over the blonde's. She tried not to melt as Brittany sighed contently. "_Brittany." _She breathed again, this time placing a light kiss onto her lips.

"Mmm…" Brittany hummed sleepily and squirmed a little underneath Santana as she blinked her eyes open drowsily. _Wow again. _The Latina thought that those bright blue eyes, still a little glazed over with sleep and boring back into her own, were possibly the best thing to wake up to, like, _ever_. "Hey." The blonde whispered croakily, before reaching up and kissing Santana softly.

"Hey yourself." She replied with probably the biggest smile ever. "Good morning." Santana kissed her again, this time a little more deeply, gently sucking on her bottom lip, before pulling away and resting her chin on Brittany's chest.

"_Now _it is." She grinned again and Brittany yawned, bringing her hands up to rest on Santana's lower back.

"Any particular reason you're lying on top of me right now?" Brittany asked with a grin, glancing her eyes over her friend's still fully-clothed body pressed flush against her own.

"Nope." Santana's grin only grew wider. "But you're kinda comfy." She tried not to let her heart melt as Brittany giggled that adorable little giggle of hers. "And totally cute when you sleep." Brittany leant up and kissed her again, sighing against her lips, before suddenly turning over and flipping the both of them, so that _she_ was now lying on top of a very surprised looking Santana.

"You're kinda comfy too." The blonde grinned and pressed her lips gently to Santana's forehead. "Last night was so nice, Santana. I guess we fell asleep, huh?" She added, glancing down at their bodies, still in their outfits from the previous night. Santana chuckled and nodded, before kissing Brittany again. It was long and gentle, and their tongues brushed against each other's lazily and Santana decided that morning kisses from Brittany might be swiftly becoming her favourite. Top five at least.

_Best. Morning. Ever._

**…**

Having eventually slowed down the kiss and peeled herself off from Santana, much to the Latina's protesting, Brittany jumped off the bed, announcing she was starving. Santana yawned and stretched out her limbs sleepily before turning to look at the alarm clock. Despite thinking _why in god's name they were they up at fucking 9.15 on a fucking Sunday, _Santana couldn't refuse the adorably hopeful smile on Brittany's face and managed to heave herself out of bed. Looking up and down at Brittany standing before her, Santana paused for a moment, her hands on her hips, before opening her chest of drawers and chucking some clothes at her. "Here, Britt. Put these on. You can't go into the kitchen still with last night's outfit on. If that doesn't say walk of shame I don't know what does." She smirked at the blonde who shot her a playful glare before turning around to change. Santana did the same, wanting to give her some privacy, and quickly pulled on some shorts and a sweatshirt. When she turned around, she tried not to let her jaw drop onto the floor because _holy fuck. _Santana was now extremely chuffed with the tiny vest and even tinier shorts which she had picked out for her friend. They were short on Santana, but with Brittany's longer legs, _Jesus Christ_ she looked amazing.

"Done drooling?" Brittany smirked, causing Santana to blush heavily and lift her gaze back up to her face.

"I, uh… Sorry, you just look _so _much better in my clothes than I do." She said with a bashful smile, and walked over to the blonde, linking her arms around her waist.

"Not possible." Brittany replied with a grin before leaning down and kissing Santana once more. "Now, breakfast." And with that she darted through to door and into the living area, leaving a slightly breathless Santana to follow.

"Morning losers!" Santana sung as they entered the kitchen to find Rachel and Kurt sitting at the island. She couldn't help but laugh at the sorry sight in front of her.

"Why are you shouting?" Rachel groaned, her head in her hands.

"Jesus, you guys look terrible." Santana pointed out with a smug smile and Brittany chuckled next to her. "How much longer did you stay out last night?"

"Seriously, with the yelling?" Rachel grumbled, taking a large gulp of the water in front of her. Kurt simply shook his head slowly whilst rubbing his presumably throbbing temples.

"Holy shit. Grandma Berry more hungover than me? I kinda feel a little embarrassed." Santana chuckled. "It's like Freaky Friday or something in here. Britt, you didn't order fortune cookies last night did you?" She said, turning to her friend, who giggled.

"I _love _that movie!" Brittany squealed, taking a seat at the island next to the others, who groaned again at the sound.

"Me too. Now, Britt, what can I get ya? Coffee?" Brittany nodded eagerly. "And I can make you some pancakes if you want?"

"Yummy, yes please." Santana passed her a mug of coffee and began raiding the fridge.

"Can I have some pancakes?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"No." Rachel looked thoroughly offended and buried her head in her hands once more. Santana set about making breakfast, sipping on her coffee and humming away. "So, plans for today?"

"NOTHING." Kurt and Rachel both shouted in unison and the others chuckled.

"Britt?"

"Well, I should probably text Quinn." She replied, flipping open her pink phone. "You know, let her know I'm actually alive." Santana giggled as she poured some pancake mixture into a frying pan.

"Why on earth do you two seem to be on some sort of ridiculous high this morning while Rachel and I are feeling horrendous?" Kurt asked, his usually high pitched voice croaky and strained.

"I genuinely feel close to death." Rachel whined, receiving another laugh from Santana and Brittany. The blonde proceeded to rub her back soothingly.

"Well, my poor, innocent children." Santana began in a teasing voice, flipping a pancake and catching it again in the pan. "What you are currently suffering from is what us cool kids like to call a _hangover._" She continued, smiling as she heard Brittany trying to suppress a laugh behind her. "I'm sorry to be the one to have to tell you both this. And yes, Berry, there is a very high possibility of death. I bags your car after you snuff it." Brittany snorted and erupted into laughter, soon joined by Santana. Rachel lifted her face to look at her, eyes wide with horror, before glaring when she realised she was being teased.

"Very mature, Santana." Kurt snapped, still nursing his temples.

"Britt, get your plate ready and GO LONG!" Brittany giggled again and jumped up from her seat, leaping over to the other side of the kitchen and holding her plate high. Suddenly a large pancake came whizzing over from the stove and Brittany and Santana both froze as it landed with a _slap _right on Rachel's head. The pair looked at each other before exploding into fits of laughter. Brittany had to grip onto the counter for support and Santana was doubled over by the stove, tears running down her cheeks. "Best. Thing. I… have. Ever… seen!" Santana managed to get out in between cackles and Rachel stormed off out of her seat and into her room, slamming the door behind her.

"You're going to pay for that one later, Satan." Kurt said, shaking his head, unable to hide his small smirk before following Rachel into her room to try and calm her down.

"Totally fucking worth it." Santana grinned, wiping the tears from her cheeks. After a good few more minutes, the pair managed to catch their breath and slowly begin to recover from their hysteria.

"Wait, there's more pancakes, right?" Brittany asked, her eyes suddenly wide with panic. Santana chuckled and tossed a pancake onto Brittany's plate, grinning as she watched relief rush over her features. "Thank. Goodness. Oh, got a text from Quinn. She says no worries and that she'll be in the library all day-"

"Loser." Santana interrupted with a snort as she joined Brittany at the island with a pancake of her own.

"-And she won't be home till later." Brittany finished, shooting a mock glare at her friend before taking a giant bite of her breakfast. "_Oh my god." _She moaned through a mouthful of pancake. "These are incredible, Santana!" Santana grinned smugly and took a bite of her own. She had to admit, she made a fucking good blueberry pancake.

"So, seeing as Fabgay is being a nerd at the library, wanna hang out here today?" Santana said, looking across at Brittany with a shy smile.

"Totally. I'm thinking… Movie day?" She beamed across at Santana who grinned back. The girls shovelled back the rest of their breakfast before racing over to the TV, pushing and shoving each other playfully to see who could get there first and landing in a giggling heap on the big leather couch.

"Britt, get off!" Santana shrieked, kicking and flailing as the blonde straddled her and began tickling her sides. "No! You- get-ahh!" She screamed and Brittany eventually gave in, leaning down and stealing a quick kiss from the Latina. "You're so mean." Santana mumbled into her mouth before scrabbling out of her hold and leaping over to the DVD cabinet. "Okay, what are we feeling?"

"Freaky Friday!" They both shouted in unison before erupting into another bout of giggling. "I'm on the popcorn, you grab the duvet."

**...**


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys. Loving your reviews, it makes me so happy to get them! Big shout out to AlabamaMiles, Channy2425 and WeWearSocksFTW for your regular comments, they're great! Keep 'em coming everyone. Hope you like this chapter. x

Chapter 11:

A few hours later, Kurt and Rachel reappeared from their rooms and found Santana and Brittany curled up on the sofa under a duvet, Santana's head resting on Brittany's shoulder.

"Aw, aren't you guys cute." Rachel cooed, obviously feeling slightly better than earlier but still looking a sight for sore eyes.

"Call me cute again, Berry, and I will ends you." Santana glared at her roommate, lifting her head from Brittany's shoulder and turning off the TV.

"But you _are _cute, Santana." Brittany giggled beside her.

"Fine. But only you are allowed to call me cute." She replied with a smile and a playful nudge.

"Why does Brittany get to call you cute and I don't?" Rachel whined. Santana _hated_ her whining. "That's so not fair." She slumped down on the other sofa, followed by a clearly still very hung over Kurt.

"Because, Hobbit, unlike you, I don't want to scream every time Britt-Britt opens her mouth. Your voice makes me want to rip my arm off, just so I'd have something to throw at you." Santana settled back against the sofa with a smug grin, pleased with herself for another well-executed insult. _She would have to write that one down._ Rachel huffed and crossed her arms.

"Hey, don't be mean." Brittany poked her ribs and pouted adorably. _Holy shit, that pout._ Santana rolled her eyes and smiled, before turning back to Rachel.

"_Fine. _Berry, I'm sorry." Rachel and Kurt both snapped their heads up, eyes wide in amazement. _Jesus, she'd actually sounded like a relatively nice person. Gonna have to remedy that. _"I'm sorry that you have to shop in the kid's section of the mall so you can find clothes to fit your midget body. I'm sorry your moustache is getting thicker by the day, and that the bleaching kit I got you for your birthday clearly isn't having the desired effect. Oh, and I'm sorry I used all your blueberries this morning." She smirked and Brittany shot her a glare, but Santana could tell she was trying not to laugh. Kurt rolled his eyes and Rachel just sat there, mouth ajar and looking thoroughly offended.

"I think that's the best apology you're going to get out of Satan, Rachel. I'd count yourself lucky, most people don't even get that much." _Rude. _"So, subject change…" He said, eyeing Rachel who looked like she might be about to cry. "Did you guys get lucky last night then?" Santana's heart stopped. She couldn't breathe and she thought she might faint. O_hmygodOhmygodOhmygod. _She looked to Brittany whose eyes were wide and a hint of pink was appearing on her cheeks and at her ears.

"No!" The blonde squealed and Santana echoed her. "W-what do you mean?" She stammered, shifting awkwardly next to Santana on the sofa.

"Well I just assumed," He began, grinning at the embarrassment of his friends. "Because you disappeared for so long, that you'd both found yourselves some poor, unsuspecting men to play with?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Santana breathed again. _Phew._

"First of all, Lady Hummel, _play with?_ Ew. And second, why the fuck would you just _assume_ I was off banging some sleazy guy in the restroom? That's just rude." Santana folded her arms again and glared at her friend.

Kurt and Rachel both scoffed, which Santana found most offensive, and Kurt looked at her with a face as if to say _you're kidding right?_

"Oh, come on, Santana. You're not exactly, _inexperienced_ shall we say, are you?" He chuckled, watching the red spread over his friend's cheeks.

"Yes, the walls are pretty thin you know, Santana?" Rachel chimed in, a mischievous grin on her face. "And let's just say, whoever it is always seems to be very _appreciative._ Brittany, did you know Santana's apparently like, the _Queen_ of sex?" She turned to Brittany and giggled, enjoying doing the teasing for once. The Latina's cheeks were growing hotter and she felt Brittany tense next to her. "I'm being serious. As in I genuinely once _heard_ a guy shout that after, _you know,_ in her room." Santana groaned and the others burst out laughing. _Not cool, Berry. That was one time… and she'd kicked him the hell outta there straight after._

"That is so- urgh, whatever!" Santana blushed even more and shoved Brittany playfully for laughing.

"I'm sorry- I just… That's amazing." Brittany managed to say in the midst of her giggling.

"Yes and remember, Santana, we all went to high school with Puck." Kurt continued, clearly not done with the teasing. His grin was now enormous and he shuffled himself further forward in his seat. "We've heard the stories. We know all about your... _skills._" He wiggled his hands in a sort of jazz hand motion. _Gross._

"Oh fuck off, Hummel!" She shot a playful glare in his direction. Santana froze suddenly when she felt a cool hand squeeze her thigh under the duvet. _Holy shit. _She whipped her head round to look at Brittany, whose blue eyes were twinkling mischievously and a tiny smirk was tugging at her lips. Her hand began to trace slowly over Santana's bare skin, and, as a finger brushed higher, dangerously close to the hem of her shorts, she felt her whole body tingle in excitement. Brittany's finger continued its slow, gentle movements, tracing circles on her inner thigh ever so lightly. Santana shuddered with pleasure. _Fuck that felt incredible. _Somewhere in her lower abdomen twinged and she could feel her centre heating up. This was just as hot as when she'd done it before in Lola's, but there was something about being in her living room, in the middle of the day, and hidden by the duvet which made this even more exciting.

"Yes, our little Santana's quite the _people-pleaser_." Kurt continued.

"I bet." Brittany winked at Santana as she brushed her finger over her thigh again, this time just under the material of her shorts. _Holy mother of-_

"Hello children!" Quinn sang as she burst through the door to the apartment. "I'm all done studying and so I thought I'd come and hang out here." Brittany's hand retreated from its place on Santana's thigh as Quinn dumped her bag by the door and sat down on the sofa next to Rachel. "What are you guys doing?"

"Oh, you know. Just telling Brittany here how Santana's apparently a beast in the bedroom." Kurt grinned and Quinn laughed heartily.

"Oh, I've heard." She said with a smirk. "I believe Puck's exact words were sex_ machine?_" Santana blushed again and the others laughed.

"Didn't you guys have sex in the choir room once? Or was that just a rumour?" Kurt asked still grinning.

"Totally true, ladies and gents. Actually scrap that, just ladies." She stuck her tongue out playfully at Kurt. "At least I didn't have sex in a _hammock_ in my back yard, whilst my parents were still in the house." She looked pointedly at Quinn. A series of _Ews _and _Gross_ went around the group and Quinn blushed.

"Wasn't that kind of… tricky?" Brittany asked, chuckling.

"Actually, I'll have you know the swing of the hammock allowed quite a good momentum." She quipped and everyone laughed. "Okay then. Rachel, where's the craziest place you've had sex?"

"Um… Well, I once had sex not under the covers, which was pretty weird. _And _with the lights on." She said, scrunching up her nose in disgust. The others fell silent, before erupting into laughter.

"Lame." Santana snorted. "Kurt, go."

"Senior year, in the back of Blaine's car in the parking lot at Wendy's." Everyone chuckled again.

"Britt?" Santana turned to eye the blonde, very intrigued to hear her answer.

"Last year, Disneyland." Brittany said completely casually and everyone laughed loudly. "What? There was a long queue. I got bored." Santana couldn't help but think right then that this girl was the most awesome person ever.

"That's priceless!" Quinn giggled. "I love this game! Let's ask more questions." Brittany and Santana exchanged a glance and smiled at the memory of their own game the previous night.

"I have a better idea!" Rachel squealed, bouncing in her seat. _Guess her hangover's better then? Drama Queen. _"Let's all ask _Brittany _questions. It'll be a fun way for us to get to know her better." The others agreed enthusiastically.

"What? No fair." The blonde pouted and Santana's heart did another one of those flutters.

"Sorry, Britt. Gonna have to agree with Gay Berry over there." Santana grinned and adjusted herself so she was sitting cross-legged on the sofa. "Okay. Aunty Tana will decide the rules. Rule number 1: Britt, you have to answer completely and utterly truthfully. No fibbing." Her eyes narrowed on the blonde who giggled. "And rule number 2: No lame questions. Berry, I'm talking to you." Santana quirked an eyebrow and pointed at Rachel who rolled her eyes. "Punishment for any lame questions will be in the form of making me breakfast tomorrow. Vegan recipes are not allowed. Got it? Good. Quinn, seeing as you're Britt's roommate, you can start."

"Okay… Weirdest sexual dream?" Brittany furrowed her brows in thought.

"Um… I had a dream about my friend's dad once. That was kinda awkward when I went round for dinner the next night." She grimaced and everyone chuckled.

"My turn!" Rachel shrieked. "What qualities do you usually look for in a partner?"

"Berry, what the fuck did I _just _say about lame questions? You owe me breakfast. I like bacon, thanks." Santana smiled as Brittany chuckled next to her. She glared at Rachel who was looking very disheartened.

"It's fine, I don't mind lame questions." Brittany said sweetly, returning the grin to Rachel's face. "I usually go for people with tanned skin…" She began and Santana felt her hand return to her thigh and smirked. "I like dark hair, brown eyes. The whole exotic thing is such a turn on." Her hand squeezed the Latina's leg and she felt her whole body heat up. _Woah._ "Next."

"Worst sexual experience." Kurt stated, raising an eyebrow at the blonde.

"Oh I have a _really _good one. Well, not good, awful actually, but- you know what I mean!" _So goddamn cute._ "So anyway, I had sex with this guy once, and he cried afterwards because he said he was so happy." Her nose scrunched up at the memory and various gasps and _poor you's _were muttered around the room.

"Shit you must be _so_ good!" Santana blurted out. Her face instantly reddened. _Fuck. Did she just say that out loud?_ Everyone laughed and Brittany tightened her grip on Santana's bare thigh, sending even more colour to her cheeks. _Holy shit._

"Looks like we've got two _sex machines_ in the group!" Kurt smirked and this time Brittany blushed.

"Ha ha, very funny. Next question!" Brittany said, looking around at the others expectantly, her eyes pausing on Santana.

"Biggest turn on." The Latina said slowly, holding Brittany's gaze. She could see the tiniest of smirks tugging at her lips.

"Saying stuff in a foreign language. I think it's so sexy." The blonde said, her eyes not leaving Santana's. _Duly noted._ "What else ya got for me?"

**…**

"Brittany's the best." Rachel chirped from her seat next to Santana. It was Monday morning, and that meant that she was forced to endure an entire hour of Rachel Berry for their vocal theory class. She loved Berry really, in a _she's so fucking annoying but she's my friend and I wouldn't have her any other way _kind of way, but having to spend a whole hour with her, trapped in a music room at NYADA and forced to listen to her bang on about pitch and tone and fuck knows what else, was a little much. In fact, Santana was sure she was about one more _I think you need to adjust your breathing on that part, Santana_ away from lunging across and throttling the girl. So it took Santana a little by surprise when she mentioned Brittany.

"Yeah, she's pretty awesome." She was more than _pretty awesome, _but Santana didn't want to seem too obvious.

"Like, she's really pretty and funny and so sweet. And she's so _talented_! I mean, Quinn said she's the best dancer she's ever seen. And you know Quinn, she doesn't say those kinds of things lightly. Plus, she sings too. Did you know that?" Santana shook her head. She _didn't _know that. _Interesting. _"And she can do all these awesome things like rap, and beat box. How cool is that?" She gushed with a large smile.

"Jeez, _Gay _Berry. It's starting to sound like you've got yourself a little girl crush on Britt-Britt." She said, half teasing half serious because _hell no. She _was the one with the crush on Brittany.

"Oh grow up." Rachel chuckled and shook her head before looking down at the sheet music they'd been asked to study. "You guys are pretty close, huh?" _Close. That's one way you could describe it. _

"Uh, sure. I- I guess." Santana replied a little nervously. She wasn't sure where this was going.

"I think that's great, Santana." _Huh?_ "It's just… I don't know, it's nice seeing you like this again. It's really good that you have someone who you can open up to. I've never seen you warm so quickly to anyone the way you have with Brittany. Even you and Quinn aren't anywhere near that close." Rachel said with a warm smile. _She was right._

"Um… yeah, well. I've known Britt forever, Berry." She said quickly, trying to shrug off Rachel's comment. "I guess… I don't know, she's just… _different_, you know?" Rachel nodded.

"She is. In a great way. I think she fits into our little family perfectly! I'm happy for you." She beamed before returning her attention to the music. _Okay, that was weird._ Santana felt her phone buzz in her pocket and reached down to get it, glancing up quickly to check their singing teacher, Miss Holliday, wasn't watching. Not that she'd care, that woman was a fucking legend.

_Café. 12 o'clock. – Quinn _

_Shit. _

Something was definitely up. Santana had known Quinn for a long time and she knew that short, to the point messages like that from her meant something was up. What the fuck could it be? Did she know about her and Brittany? Could she tell from yesterday? _Shit, shit, shit. _Okay, she needed to calm down. Quinn couldn't know anything for sure. It would be fine. If in doubt, deny _everything._

**…**

Santana pushed open the door to the café she and Quinn always went to and spied the blonde sitting at a table in the far corner flicking through a text-book. _Okay, calm. Deep breaths_. _Act normal._

"Yo, Fabray." Santana said in her most causal tone and took a seat opposite her friend. Quinn didn't look up but instead kept her eyes fixed on her book. "Earth to Quinn? What the fuck's so interesting in…" Santana grabbed the large book in front of her and read aloud the title. "The Philosophy of Politics. Fuck, your life's boring." Quinn snatched the book back and looked up at the Latina.

"Hi. Sorry, I'm cramming. Exams next week." She said, taking a sip of her latte.

"Gay." Santana snorted before turning and waving the waitress over. "So, what's up? What is it you want to lay into me for this time?"

"What makes you assume I want to lay into you?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I know you Q. And I know something's up. Besides, my Mexican third eye is never wrong. So either we can make bullshit small talk for an hour first and then you tell me, or you can just come right out with whatever it is. Preferably the second option 'cause I's gots places to be."

"Well. I'm worried about you." _Oh Jesus. _It was never good when Quinn said that."I just… you seem, different." She continued slowly, her eyes studying the Latina.

"What the fuck are you on about Q?" She snapped, irritated the blonde seemed to be totally wasting her time. She could be back at home by now, curled up on the sofa and watching TV. Or probably thinking about a certain _other_ blonde if she was being honest.

"I don't know, I guess… Look, I know you, Santana, and I can tell there's something going on with you. You just seem so… _not yourself._" Her eyes narrowed, presumably trying to decipher exactly what it was, before sighing and taking another sip of coffee.

"Look, Q. I don't know what kind of drug they've put in your latte, but could you please stop acting like a whack-job and tell me what the hell's going on?" Quinn was the one acting weird, not her.

"You're just so _happy_ at the moment." Quinn replied, studying Santana's features as if she would find some answers there. Santana stared back at her with wide eyes.

"And that's a problem because_…?"_

"Because you're never happy, S." _Harsh, but possibly true. _"I haven't seen you properly happy in years, not since… anyway, I'm just- I'm just worried because I know what you're like. I know how you bottle things up and pretend everything's all la-di-dah when it's not. So what's going on?" Quinn said, a little more frustrated. Santana briefly thanked the waitress who'd just come back with her coffee, before crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.

"Do you realise how completely insane you sound right now? Everything's fine. _I'm_ _fine._ Things are just good at the moment. Is that allowed?" She asked, eyeing the blonde with confusion. _What the fuck was she on?_

"Listen, S. I'm just trying to look out for you. I remember how you were when your dad left. You seemed like everything was fine and then-"

"I know, Quinn." Santana cut her off with a sharp tone. "I was there. I do vaguely recall the whole thing. Thank you so much for reminding me." She snapped, her voice laced thick with sarcasm.

"I know, I just…" Quinn trailed off with a sigh and warmed her hands around her coffee mug. The girls sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, before Quinn looked up again. "You and Brittany…" _Oh god, here it comes. _"I can't help but feel like you've been different ever since she moved in. You've gotten pretty close, haven't you?" _What was up with everyone asking her that today?_

"Sure. I mean, you know how close we were when we were kids." Santana said with a shrug.

"I know, but… it's not the same. You're different now. And you never let people in, ever. Hell, you hardly let _me_ in, so I just... I guess I'm just finding it hard to understand how someone you've had back in your life for two minutes has had such a change on you. It's… strange that's all."

"Quinn, she was my best friend. I was my best when I was with her, before she left and everything else in my life started turning to shit. Can't I be happy now that she's back?" Santana blurted without thinking. She hadn't really intended on sharing so much. "You're sounding a little jealous I'm not gonna lie." She added hastily.

"I'm not jealous, Santana. Don't be so immature. And of course you're allowed to be happy, but like I said, things are different now. _You're_ different now. Brittany's so innocent and gullible and"-

"She's not stupid, Fabray." Santana snapped.

"I know that. I'm just saying what I told you before. Don't take advantage of her. She's my roommate, and I kind of like having her around." Quinn said only half-seriously, forcing a smile.

"I don't know what the fuck you're on about Quinn, but Britt's a big girl. She can take care of herself." _What the hell was Quinn implying? _

"I know, I know." She chuckled. "Just please don't go corrupting her. We don't need two Santana Lopez's running around this place. One is already more than enough thank you." She smirked and Santana rolled her eyes.

"_Anyway,_" Santana decided to change the subject, glad that Quinn's sour mood seemed to have lifted. "Now that you've stopped spewing crazy, let's talk about something that's actually interesting. Party. My place. Wednesday. I'll finally be done with my dance exam piece so I wants to celebrate." Quinn's eyes widened with excitement and she let out a little squeal. "Calm your tits, Fabray. It'll just be a chilled one. Us, Lady Hummel, Berry, Brittany – if I'm still allowed to talk to her that is?" She added and Quinn stuck her tongue out. At that moment her phone vibrated on the table and her eyes lit up as she saw who it was from.

_Guess what tonight is? Date night! I'm coming to get you at 8._

_Ps. Missing you today – Britt-Britt_

Heart. Officially. Melted. "Speak of the blonde devil. That was Britt."

"And what's she said?" Quinn asked coolly, looking up over her mug.

"Just seeing if I wanted to grab dinner tonight." The Latina shrugged casually but she could feel a stupid grin plastered on her face. "No big deal."

"Oh, she didn't tell me she wouldn't be home." Quinn looked a little deflated.

"Oh don't be pathetic Q. Go and gay it up with Lady Hummel and Grandma Berry. You guys can all knit or play Bingo or something." Santana laughed as Quinn shot her a mock glare, and she began to get up from the table. "Anyways I gots to go. Need to get some more practice in for Wednesday. Invite Chang 1 and Chang 2 to the party as well if you want. See ya." She waved and made her way out of the café, still grinning from ear to ear because tonight she was going on a date with Brittany.

_She _was going on a date_. _With _Brittany. _Tonight.

_Woah. _

**…**

Now that Santana was back at the apartment and showered after a good hour's dance practice, she was standing in her bedroom in a towel and trying desperately to decide on an outfit for her date. _Date. That sounded so weird. _

After she'd left Quinn she'd replied to Brittany asking what they were doing but she'd simply responded that it was a surprise. Santana didn't like surprises. The last surprise she'd had was last year when she'd come back to the apartment to find that Kurt and Rachel had sold their stereo and bought a karaoke machine instead. A _karaoke machine. _Let's just say it did not go down well.

_"A karaoke machine? Are you freaking kidding me?"_

_"Rachel and I thought it would be fun, Santana!"_

_"But you sold our fucking stereo! A stereo which I paid a third for thank you very much! Is there zero brain activity going on below that stupidly quaffed hair of yours or is this some kind of sick joke?"_

_"Santana, just try to calm down. Kurt and I know you'll absolutely love it! We can host karaoke parties, have sing-offs, maybe even-"_

_"Tell me to calm down ONE more time, Berry, and I swear to god, I'll shove that microphone so far up your ass your colon will be belting out god awful Broadway tunes!"_

Yeah… definitely didn't go down well. Santana shuddered at the memory and turned her attention back to the heap of clothes on her bed. Okay, she might not like surprises, but any surprise from Brittany couldn't possibly be bad, right? The only problem was that because Santana had no clue about where they were going or what the hell they were doing, she had no idea what to wear. Were they going to a fancy restaurant and if so should she dress up? But what if they were just headed to the movies and she arrived completely overdressed? And then what if she turned up causal and Brittany turned up in a ball gown or something and she looked like a total loser? _Fuck, dates were stressful._

Santana decided she should go for a middle option. A tight black skirt, a sexy top and her heeled boots. Perfect. But wait- _Shit. What about underwear? _She wanted to wear nice ones because, well, you know. But then she didn't want Brittany to think she was _expecting_ something. Not that she _was_, they'd been over that, but still. _Oh for fuck sake, Lopez. Get a bleeding grip. _She pulled on some black lace panties and a sexy red bra – they were hot, but not matching so still said causal – and threw on her outfit, before admiring herself in her long mirror. _Nailed it. _She glanced at the clock and saw it was 7.45 – _holy shit. Fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes until Brittany arrived. For her date. With Brittany. A girl. Who she really liked. Fuck- why was she so freaking nervous?_ She quickly did her make-up – sexy but not too heavy – and pulled on her boots before grabbing her purse and making her way out of her room.

"Look at _you!" _Kurt chirped from the sofa as Santana strutted into the living room. "You look gorgeous. Hot date?" He put down the book he'd been reading and looked the Latina up and down.

"Just having dinner with Britt." She replied with an air of composure, something she was definitely not feeling right now.

"Oh _really?" _He said mischievously. "I see." _Damn Kurt and his probably bang on gaydar. _

"You look lovely, Santana." Rachel glanced up from her seat next to him where she was looking over some sheet music. "Where are you two off to?"

"I don't know. She won't tell me. She says it's a surprise." Santana said with an eye roll.

"Ooh I _love _surprises!" Rachel squealed, jumping up from her seat and rushing over to Santana.

"Oh, I know you do, Berry. Don't think I've forgotten about the karaoke machine incident." Santana glared at Rachel who hung her head.

"I still think it was mean of you to smash it with a baseball bat. I didn't even know you owned a baseball bat." Santana smirked at the memory. _She may have gone a little overboard there, but fuck it was satisfying._

"Yeah, well. You still owe me money for that." She huffed and walked over to the kitchen area where she began to adjust her hair in the reflection on the microwave.

"But _you _broke it!" Rachel squealed, rushing after her.

"Whatever, midget. Now please leave me alone. Your whining is making my breasts ache." Santana smirked and Rachel retreated back to the couch looking very disheartened. "So when's Fabgay coming over and joining this wild party?" She asked, shaking her head at the sight of Kurt reading and Rachel buried in sheets of music. Before anyone could answer there was a knock at the door and Santana's heart leapt. She smoothed out her skirt and glanced once more at her reflection in the microwave before stepping slowly over to the door. _Keep it cool._

"Hey." _Wow._ Brittany stood in the doorway smiling the biggest smile Santana had ever seen. Her long hair was pulled back in a high pony tail, she was wearing tight black jeans that made her legs go on for miles and a sexy grey top with a low-cut neckline which dipped right down between her breasts. _Double wow. _

"Hey you." Santana replied when she realised her eyes had lingered a little too long on her cleavage. The blonde smirked.

"You look amazing." Brittany whispered, and the air caught somewhere at the back of Santana's throat because just… _Brittany._ Before Santana could return the compliment, because _she sure as hell looked amazing, _Rachel squealed and came sprinting up behind her, almost knocking her over as she flung her arms around Brittany.

"Brittany! You look amazing!" _Way to steal my line, Berry. _"I hear you've got a surprise for Santana. I _love _surprises! Santana, on the other hand, doesn't." _Shut. Up. Right. Now. _ "But I'm sure she'll love wherever you're taking her. Just make sure she doesn't have any weapons on her. Sharp objects, baseball bats, that kind of thing and you should be fine!" She giggled and stuck her tongue out at Santana who simply glared back at her.

"Um… okay, thanks, Rachel?" Brittany said, clearly a little confused but the large grin was still plastered on her face.

"Alright midget. That's enough of you. Why don't you give Britts here a little room to breathe and get back to the gay-fest you guys have planned for tonight?" She shooed Rachel away with her hand who reluctantly obeyed.

"Have fun kids! Stay safe!" Kurt shouted from the living room.

"Let's get the hell away from this freak show." Santana whispered to Brittany who giggled and turned back into the corridor. "Adios losers!" She shouted before grabbing her purse and closing the door behind them. _Thank fuck for that._

Brittany said _hey _again as she turned to face Santana and pulled her into a tight squeeze. Santana couldn't help but notice she smelt amazing; kind of fruity and sweet. "I missed you."

"Britt, I saw you yesterday." Santana giggled as they broke apart. "But, fuck it, I really missed you too." Brittany beamed back at her before pressing the button to the elevator.

"You excited?" Brittany asked as they made their way outside the building.

"I'd be a lot more excited if I knew where they hell we were going." Santana responded with a grin.

"Well I can't tell you because that would ruin the surprise." Brittany stated matter-of-factly, her face scrunched up in an attempt at seriousness which Santana thought was adorable. Santana rolled her eyes playfully and watched as Brittany got out her keys from her purse and unlocked her car. "Okay, roof up or roof down?" _Holy mother of-_

"Britt, this is your car?" Santana exclaimed, eyes wide and mouth probably hanging open very unattractively. The blonde nodded shyly and walked over to hold the passenger door open for her friend. It was a shiny, baby blue convertible and it was _freaking awesome._ Santana climbed in and grinned as she stroked the cream leather interior. "This is like, the coolest car ever! And definitely roof down." Brittany chuckled at Santana's excitement and turned the key in the ignition.

"Thanks. My parents gave it to me as a present when I finished high school. No one thought I would actually graduate – I wasn't exactly the best student – so it was kind of a miracle. That's how they described it anyway." She said with a small smile which Santana couldn't help but feel wasn't genuine.

"Yeah, I wasn't big on the whole studying thing either." Santana agreed as she did up her seat belt and Brittany pulled out from the parking space. "I was more into the partying. I loved Cheerio's, and I mean glee club turned out to be pretty cool but studying? Not so much." Brittany giggled.

"Yeah I totally loved the partying too. But I just found classes really tricky. I always got confused and kind of spaced out a little. My teachers always said I was stupid." She kept her eyes in front and shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"You're not stupid, Britt-Britt." Santana said in a firm tone and turned to Brittany, whose eyes left the road for a second to look at the Latina. "You're like the wisest person I know. Always have been." She grinned and the blonde smiled back, before turning back to the road. _It was true. _Even when they were kids, Brittany just had this whole different attitude to life; she saw the world so differently to everyone else, and she had missed that. Santana's grin grew wider as she felt Brittany's hand reach across to take hers and interlace her fingers with her own. For the rest of the journey, they chatted happily about how their days had been and various other things, Brittany's hand only leaving hers every now and again to change gear, before returning and taking Santana's again.

Santana thought she wouldn't have mind staying like that forever, Brittany's hand in hers, cruising through the city with the roof down and feeling the cool breeze against her skin. So when Brittany eventually pulled over and removed her hand from Santana's to put the car into park, she couldn't help but pout a little. "Are we here already?"

"Yeah, it's just around the corner." Brittany replied, closing her door and locking the car. "You'll like it I promise." Santana made her way around the car to join her and she looked around as they started walking along the pavement of a quiet street. She didn't recognise the part of town.

"Are you going to tell me where we are yet?" Santana asked, eyeing her friend suspiciously who just chuckled. "Or is this the part of the date where you kill me and cut me up into tiny little pieces?" _Not that she thought Brittany was capable of hurting a fly. _The blonde snorted and shook her head.

"You'll just have to wait and see, Santana. And I kinda like hearing you say _date._" She smiled sweetly and interlaced her fingers with Santana again, who felt her heart flutter.

"I kinda like saying it." She replied with a grin, because, however much it surprised her, it _did _feel good to say. They rounded the corner and Brittany stopped which forced Santana to look up at the restaurant they were now stood in front of and she froze. "No. Freaking. Way." She felt Brittany squeeze her hand and Santana turned to look at her with eyes widened.

"Good surprise?" Brittany was beaming from ear to ear and Santana was sure she was doing the same because-

"Best. Surprise. _Ever_!" The Latina squealed. She probably sounded about five years old right now but she couldn't care less. "_Breadstix! _Are you fucking serious? I didn't even know there was one in New York!"

"Neither did I!" Brittany was still grinning, obviously very pleased her surprise had gone down so well. "My mum told me. She's friends with the guy that ran the one in Lima and he said they're opening restaurants all over the country! There's one in Chicago too now, I think. Maybe we should go there for our second date?!" She added and Santana giggled. Hearing Brittany say _second date_ made her insides feel all warm and fuzzy. "Come on, let's go in. I wanna see if it looks the same as the one in Lima." Santana followed eagerly, her hand still gripping Brittany's tightly. They pushed their way through the double doors and Santana felt her heart do a little leap. She turned to Brittany who was beaming back at her because although the place wasn't _exactly_ the same, it was pretty damn similar. Tables and booths with brown leather seats were scattered around the room, separated by wooden partitions, and cool pictures hung on the wall. There was even a little stage at the back like at the one back home. Santana sighed as memories from when she was younger flashed through her mind; how she and Brittany would go there after school and chat and giggle for hours about anything and everything. She remembered once how they hadn't even ordered food and instead had forced the poor waitress to just keep bringing them an endless supply of breadsticks. Something like sadness twinged in her stomach, but she couldn't dwell on it for long because Brittany was tugging her towards a booth in the far corner.

"I am _so _getting the shrimp!" Brittany squealed and Santana's smile returned wide. "What are you gonna get, Santana? That chicken thing you always used to have?" The Latina's heart melted at how Brittany had remembered her order and she sat down opposite the blonde.

"Ooh I do loves me some chicken, Britt-Britt. I'm mostly thinking about those glorious breadsticks right now though." She licked her lips and Brittany giggled. "Thank you, Britt. For this, for taking me here. Seriously, this is awesome." Brittany looked down and smiled bashfully. A nerdy looking waiter came over and Santana reeled off both their orders and asked for a jug of water. "Oh, and me and my girl, Britt, here really like us some breadsticks, so keep 'em coming, okay four-eyes? If I see that bowl so much as nearly empty, I will march on over there and tell your manager that his nerdiest employee has been ogling at the twins here-" She motioned to her cleavage and immediately the weedy guy shot his eyes back up to Santana's face. "-and have you fired for sexual harassment. Comprendes? Good." She shooed him away with a wave and turned back to Brittany, who was looking at her with a half amused, half impressed expression on her face.

"Wow. That was uh… _quite something."_ The blonde said with a giggle and Santana smirked.

"A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, Britt-Britt." She shrugged and Brittany laughed again. "I wants me those breadsticks." The girls chatted nostalgically for a little while about memories of Breadstix and Lima, before the now terrified looking waiter reappeared with their meals and a _very _large bowl of breadsticks. The two girls glanced at the bowl and back to each other, before bursting out laughing as the waiter scurried away.

"Last weekend was so much fun, Santana. I love your friends." Brittany began, taking a mouthful of her shrimp and giving a thumbs up to let Santana know that it was good.

"Lady Hummel and Grandma Berry? _Really_?" Santana replied with arched eyebrows.

"Oh I know you love them really." Brittany said with a grin. "I know you put on this act and pretend not to, but you don't fool me." _Busted._ It felt kind of nice to know how much Brittany really got her though.

"_Fine_. Maybe a little." She shot Brittany a mock glare. "Berry may have the world's loudest voice for such an abnormally small person and a horrendous taste in tights, but she's actually a really loyal friend. And Kurt is pretty cool, he's just too gay for his own good sometimes." She said with a smirk and Brittany nodded.

"I liked the question game last night. It was cute that everyone to want to get to know me." She said is the sweetest voice and Santana beamed before remembering something that she'd been meaning to ask Brittany. Her eyes narrowed and her smile became mischievous.

"That reminds me, Britt. I guess I'm your type huh?" Brittany's cheeks turned ever so slightly pink and she looked questioningly at Santana. "Last night, you said the things you're normally attracted to are: tanned skin, dark hair and brown eyes. I'm pretty sure you also used the word _exotic_, if I'm right?" Brittany blushed harder this time and Santana smirked, enjoying her teasing. "Couldn't have really described me better myself, Britt-Britt."

"Don't be mean." She shot Santana a mock glare and prodded her with a breadstick.

"I'm kidding. I kinda liked hearing it." Santana smiled and took a bite of her chicken. _So. Freaking. Good. _"Oh and the whole hand on the thigh thing? _So _not fair." She grinned again and Brittany's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. I think it was hearing you being described as a _sex machine._ I was kinda… _intrigued."_ She quirked an eyebrow and Santana's stomach clenched.

"I'm not the one who produced _tears _they were that good in the sack." She quipped with a flirtatious wink. Brittany giggled and rolled her eyes.

"That was _one _time!" Santana couldn't help but smile. Dates weren't scary. At least this one wasn't.

"I'm really glad we're doing this, Britt-Britt."

"Me too." Brittany reached over and placed her hand gently over Santana's. Her breath caught for a second and she glanced nervously around the room, before returning her gaze to the blonde. She instinctively whipped her hand away and turned back to Brittany, who was looking at her with a little confusion. Sure, no one in here knew her, and probably couldn't even see, but they were still in public, and Santana had never done this kind of thing before. "Britt, can I ask you something?" She said in a small voice and the blonde nodded. Her eyes were looking at her questioningly but she was still smiling sweetly, so Santana continued. "It's just… You're so _okay _about all of this. It's still all so new to me and I'm terrified of the looks and what other people might think… I know I shouldn't be but, it's just- How do you find it so _easy_?" Santana wasn't sure she was even making sense, but she wanted to know how Brittany didn't let any of it get to her. Santana hated the idea of idiots judging her and labelling her, but Brittany just didn't seem to care and she admired her so much for it.

Brittany's face softened and she took a sip of water before speaking. "I don't know, I guess I just don't really think it's anybody's business, you know? I like who I like and who are they to judge? I know it's more difficult for some people and I completely understand that." She smiled sweetly and Santana felt herself relax a little. "I like you because of who you are, Santana. It's not about being a boy or a girl, it's _you _that I care about. And people might say stuff or judge or whatever but let them. Besides, if anyone was ever mean to you, Santana, you'd either kick their ass or slash them with your vicious, vicious words." She grinned bigger and Santana couldn't help but smile back. How did she always know exactly the right thing to say? Santana took a deep breath before sliding her hand across the table to find Brittany's again and she watched the blonde sigh contentedly as Santana interlaced her fingers with the blonde's.

"Thanks, Britt-Britt. You always make me feel better. I'm sorry for being such a fucking mess." Santana looked down at her plate but Brittany squeezed her hand, lifting her eyes back up to meet blue.

"You're not a mess, Santana. It's hard and I get that and I don't want to pressure you to tell anyone because you should be the one to decide when you're ready. But I do think that when you are, your friends are gonna love you just the same. They're pretty great." Santana sighed.

"I know, but…" She trailed off and searched the blue eyes in front of her.

"And until then," Brittany continued with a beaming smile. "I get to have you all to myself, which I'm more than okay with." _Heart. Melting._

"Okay." Santana smiled and stroked the back of Brittany's hand with her fingers. "You're kinda great, you know that?" Brittany shrugged and pretended to dust off her shoulder.

"What can I say?" They both giggled before returning to their food. Santana was glad to have got that off her chest but she was grateful for the now lighter mood.

"So," Santana started after a mouthful of fries and eyed the blonde with a playful grin. "I hear you beat-box? _And _rap? How the hell did I not know this?" Brittany chuckled and rolled her eyes before laying her fork down on her plate.

"I don't know, I don't just go round telling people. 'Hi, my name's Brittany S. Pierce and my special talents include beat-boxing and rapping. What's your name?'" They both laughed.

"You _so _should do that, Britt. Beat-boxing is like the coolest thing ever. You _have _to do it for me!" Brittany pouted adorably and shook her head. "Oh _please_, Britt-Britt. For me?" Santana looked up pleadingly and stuck out her bottom lip in her best pout.

"Oh, no. Those puppy dog eyes aint gonna work on me, Lopez. Very cute though." She smiled and tapped the end of Santana's nose with her finger. "I'm going to need a large amount of alcohol in me before the beat-boxing comes out!" Santana laughed.

"Fine. But can I at least hear you sing? Apparently you've got a good set of pipes on you too." She grinned evilly at the blonde whose eyes were wide and her cheeks a little pink.

"Where are you getting all this info? Did you google search me, 'cause I'm not gonna lie that's a little creepy, Santana." She pointed at the Latina, her eyes narrowing.

"God no." Santana said with a chuckle. "Berry told me. Apparently she's your number one fan."

"Oh, right. Well sorry, that's not going to happen either. I don't really sing for people – I'm a dance major remember?" She looked up at Santana sheepishly and her heart did its little flutter thing again.

"Okay. I will strike a deal with you, Miss Pierce. You watch me dance and I get to hear you sing." Santana said triumphantly and stuck out her other hand for Brittany to shake. The blonde eyed it cautiously.

"But I've already seen you dance." She said with a wink and Santana blushed at the memory of them making out against the wall in the studio. Brittany smirked.

"You saw me dance for like two seconds. That doesn't count. I want you to come to my exam performance on Wednesday. Will you come?" Santana asked in a hopeful voice. She was actually a little nervous about it and she really wanted Brittany there.

"Hmm… Okay, Santana. You've got yourself a deal. I watch you dance and then I'll serenade you with my magical voice." The girls shook hands and grinned. "Are people allowed to come and watch your exam piece though?" Her face scrunched up in confusion. _She was too cute when she did that._

"Sure. At NYADA, the exam performances are like proper shows. Loads of people come to watch and cheer you on. It's pretty cool actually. Kinda nerve-racking though."

"You'll do great, Santana. And I will definitely be there to cheer you on!" Santana's insides warmed as Brittany tightened her grip around her hand.

"Good, because it gets better. Party at casa di Lopez on Wednesday night to celebrate." Brittany gasped with excitement and grinned widely. "And even better still, there will be copious amounts of alcohol, definitely enough to justify beat-boxing." She winked at Brittany who just laughed.

"Okay you win. So, can I ask _you _a question?" Santana dipped her eyebrows but nodded all the same. "Can I be your secret date to this party?" She said it in the cutest of voices and with the sweetest of smiles that Santana just looked back at her with affection.

"Of course, Britt. There is no one else I would rather take as my secret date." She winked before biting her lip in thought. "But what exactly does a _secret date_ do?" Brittany scrunched up her brow and thought hard for a second.

"Well first of all," She began, holding up one finger. "It's the job of the secret date to look super-duper sexy." Santana grinned, partly at the image of Brittany dressing up sexy and partly because only she could get away with saying _super-duper _and _sexy _in the same sentence. "Second of all," She held up another finger. "I have to pay you loads of attention and flirt with you all night - _secretly _of course. And thirdly, you hold the right to drag me to another room and make out with me whenever you want during the course of the evening." Santana could feel the smile on her lips getting bigger by the second because _fucking hell that sounded like the perfect evening. _Wednesday could not come soon enough.

"I see." Santana replied, pretending to stroke an imaginary beard. "Very interesting. And what do _I _have to do in return?" She asked, eying the blonde playfully and stroking light circles on the back of her hand.

"Oh, you know. Just look super hot." Brittany shrugged. "So nothing you don't normally do." She grinned and lifted Santana's hand to kiss her palm.

"I think I like this plan, Britt."

**…**


	12. Chapter 12

Me again! Been kinda hectic at uni but I hope you love this chapter. Really enjoyed writing it and was spurred on by all your reviews! Keep letting me know what you think - any thoughts or ideas or whatever! Enjoy. Peace out. x

Chapter 12:

_Shit, shit, shit. Santana needed to calm down. She needed to compose herself. Clear head, deep breaths. Holy fuck, was it possible to forget how to breathe? Oh god, panic. Nope, she definitely wasn't breathing. Help! Fuck. Okay. In, out, in, out. Phew. Why the hell was she so freaking nervous? _

It was Wednesday afternoon. Santana was at NYADA, standing backstage in one of the performance theatres, waiting to be called out for her exam piece. And she was freaking out. Just a little. She didn't get why she was so fucking nervous. She's Santana Lopez, a badass. She never got nervous. It might have a little to do with the blonde she knew would be in the audience, and possibly a little something else to do with the fact that she couldn't see her yet. She poked her head around the curtain again. _Holy shit, _there were so many people there. She could see Kurt and Rachel, but next to Quinn was Brittany's empty seat. Where _was _she? Was she running late? Had she changed her mind? No, she couldn't have. Brittany had texted her just this morning to say good luck – _so cute – _and promised that she'd be there.

_Okay, chill out. Think calming thoughts. _Santana only had one thought these days though, and that was Brittany. She smiled as she thought back to Monday night. How after dinner – which Brittany had insisted on paying for, adorable – she'd driven her home, kissed her sweetly goodnight and had even walked her to her door. It had been the perfect evening. And then she remembered she was about to have another perfect evening. The party was tonight, and Brittany was coming as her date. Well, her _secret _date, but still. She had promised to be looking sexy and to be flirting with her all night and Santana was planning on taking full advantage of her right to whisk Brittany away to her room anytime she wanted. Yeah, it was going to be pretty awesome.

Santana was feeling a bit calmer now, although her breathing was still heavy and her heart was definitely racing – that might be for another reason though, she thought. Before she could peek through the curtain again to see if Brittany had finally arrived, Santana caught her breath as she felt hands encircling around her waist.

"Hey you." A familiar voice whispered and she couldn't help but grin. She swiveled around to see Brittany's face beaming back at her.

"Britt, you came!" Santana hadn't meant for it come out as so much of a squeal but she didn't really care because all her nervous butterflies had disappeared and had been replaced by a totally different kind.

"Of course I did, silly." Brittany chuckled, her arms still wrapped around the Latina's waist. "I knew you'd probably be nervous so I wanted to come and tell you that you don't need to be 'cause you're gonna be fab." She grinned and Santana grinned back, flinging her arms around her neck. "Ps. You look super hot in that leotard." She whispered into her ear. Santana felt her warm breath on her neck and her stomach clenched. She definitely wasn't feeling nervous anymore. They broke apart and Santana smirked at the mischievous twinkle in those blue eyes. She glanced around to make sure they were alone.

"Come here, Britt." Santana said, surprised by how husky her voice had become. With that, she grinned and pulled Brittany further backstage into a dark corner and immediately claimed her lips with her own. She felt Brittany inhale sharply into her mouth and lifted her hands up to tangle in blonde hair. Brittany moaned into the kiss and _fuck, _Santana had missed her. She hadn't seen her since Monday because she'd been practicing all day yesterday and so she'd been craving those soft lips. She'd been craving the way Brittany was now pressed right up against her, the arms around her waist pulling her closer still, and the way her tongue was now sliding against her own. Santana tensed as Brittany moved her hands from her back to explore her stomach which was only covered by a skin-tight black leotard, and let out a small whimper when the blonde sucked gently on her bottom lip. _Wow this felt incredible and-_

"Santana Lopez?" A voice sounded through the dark backstage area and the girls broke apart suddenly. They stood frozen in each other's hold, breathing heavily and looking at each other as the voice repeated her name once more. "Santana Lopez. Two minutes." They giggled and Brittany rested her forehead on Santana's before leaning in close and whispering,

"You're gonna do great, baby. Go get 'em!" Santana couldn't help but melt and grin stupidly back at the blonde who had just called her _baby._ Placing another quick peck on her lips, Santana said _thank you_ and hurried back over towards the curtain, squealing when Brittany tapped her bum as she went. She found a guy standing there with a clipboard.

"Ready?" He asked, ticking off her name.

"I am now." She grinned and strutted out onto the stage.

**…**

_Nailed it. _

Santana stepped out into the foyer and was greeted by a grinning Kurt, Rachel, Quinn and Brittany, all waiting for her. She had to admit, she kind of felt like a celebrity or something.

"Santana, you were wonderful!" Rachel was leaping up and down and clapping her hands together in delight as Santana made her way towards her welcoming committee. Her performance had gone really well, and she couldn't help but think it had a little something to do with the _adrenaline_ rush she'd received thanks to Brittany, who was now waiting with the others, an enormous smile plastered on her face. The group clapped and Santana grinned, taking a small bow before being pulled into a group hug.

"Yeah, Santana, I loved it! You were kind of amazing up there." Brittany's eyes were wide and her smile was growing. The others all nodded enthusiastically but Santana kept her eyes on the blonde.

"Even I have to agree, Satan. That was impressive. What got into you, you were so full of energy out there?" Kurt added.

"Oh, I don't know. I was feeling very _motivated _I guess." She kept her gaze on Brittany who winked and her stomach flipped. "Besides, I actually have natural rhythm, unlike the rest of you losers." She added playfully. "Except Britt of course." Brittany blushed.

"Well, Santana, you really were great." Quinn added sincerely. Santana couldn't help but feel her insides warm from all the support her friends were giving her. Brittany was right, they _were _pretty great. Not that she would admit that to them. Ever. "That performance definitely deserves one hell of a celebration tonight." Quinn grinned before taking Santana's bag for her and linking her arm as they walked towards the exit of the building. It was around five and there were no more classes today because of exams, so they were free to head home and start getting ready. "What else do we need?"

"Well, I've texted Puck and he's bringing his big speakers with him, seeing as we _still_ haven't gotten new ones." The Latina shot a glare towards Rachel and Kurt. "We can order pizzas later, and then there's just the alcohol we need to take care of."

"Oh we have plenty of alcoholic beverages at the apartment, Santana, so there's no need to go to the store." Rachel added helpfully as the group stepped outside and headed for the parking lot.

"Oh _hell_ no, Berry. This _my_ party. There is no way in hell I am drinking your wine coolers all night. And don't even get me started on those cocktails you made at Halloween last year. What in god's name even were they?"

"They were _virgin _cocktails, Santana. A lighter, non-alcoholic option for those of us that wanted a break from the wine coolers." _Was she being serious right now? _Santana stared at her in bewilderment for a second before turning back to face Quinn.

"Is it too late to disinvite Berry?" Santana asked, half-seriously.

"Seeing as the party is at your apartment, an apartment which Rachel shares with you, I'm going to have no say I'm afraid so." Quinn whispered back with a hint of a smile.

"I can be in charge of alcohol!" Brittany shouted excitedly. "I can stop at the store get some on my way home. Besides, I make the most awesome cocktails ever, so..." Santana grinned at the blonde's enthusiasm.

"What can I do then?" Rachel whined like a small child.

"You just concentrate on finding an outfit which doesn't make you look like a 12-year-old girl, Berry." Santana quipped and Rachel shot her a glare.

"Right, it's sorted then." Kurt announced as they reached where their cars were parked. "Puck's on music, Brittany's taking care of booze and Rachel, you and I can make some snacks." Rachel's smile returned when she heard she could be involved again.

"Yay!" She clapped excitedly before opening the door to her car. "I can't wait! We'll see you guys later." The friends said their goodbyes as Brittany and Quinn climbed into Brittany's blue soft-top. Rachel got into the driver's seat of her red car and Santana called shotgun, leaving Kurt to clamber into the back. Brittany grinned at Santana and winked before driving away. _Hell yes. Bring on tonight. _

**…**

"Congratulations, Berry." Santana announced as she joined her roommates in the kitchen area. "That outfit doesn't totally suck. Yay." She clapped her hands together in a mock applause and Rachel beamed, seemingly pleased with this rare compliment from her roommate. She was wearing a tight black skirt and a cute pink top and she actually looked half decent for once. Not a god awful pair of tights in sight.

"Why thank you, Santana. I think that's one of the nicest things you've said to me. Now, clear your mind. Which do you prefer the sound of: smoked salmon parcels with a dill and lemon pâté, or Bruschetta accompanied with a light mint and watercress sauce?" _Oh dear god. _She stared blankly at Rachel, who was bustling around the kitchen, preparing various canapés and dips with Kurt.

"Is that a joke question?" Santana deadpanned, hoisting herself up to sit on the counter and suspiciously eyeing the array of very healthy looking snacks being prepared. "I'm gonna go with whichever one of those two doesn't mean totally lame and inedible vegan crap. Is there going to be any _normal people _food?" Jesus_, _the _one _job Rachel had tonight.

"Don't worry. We've got Doritos and dip too, Santana. You can pig out all you want on those." Kurt assured with a grin as he turned to see the disgusted expression on the Latina's face. "And _goodness!_" He added, catching sight of her outfit. "You certainly are dressed for a party." Santana smirked as she looked down at the short, tight black dress she was wearing. Brittany wasn't the only one that was going to be looking sexy tonight. "I must say I approve."

"Thank you, Hummel. And well done to you for not wearing one of those hideous scarf things I hate so much." She smiled sweetly and Kurt rolled his eyes and chuckled before returning his attention to the food. "And for the love of god, please try to control Berry. I think I just saw her sprinkle edible glitter on something." Santana added as she jumped down and made her way over to the mirror in the living area. Touching up her lip gloss, she admired her reflection. Hair: sexy. Make-up: hot. Cleavage: _perfect_. She smacked her lips together and then smirked as she considered the upcoming evening. She was excited. Like, _really_ excited. Her stomach clenched just thinking about how Brittany might be dressed, about how she would be flirting with her secretly throughout the evening. She felt a tingle all through her body as she imagined dragging her into her bedroom and taking those lips in hers once again. "What time is Br- uh, _everyone_ meant to be getting here?" Santana shouted towards the kitchen area, trying to disguise the anticipation in her voice. Before either Kurt or Rachel could answer however, there was a knock at the door. Her stomach flipped.

She waved down Rachel who asked if she should get it and hurried over towards the door. Not _too _hastily though because, _duh, _she didn't want to be completely obvious. She took a deep breath and tried to control the stupid grin that was stretching across her face as images of possible outfits Brittany might be wearing flashed through her mind. _Here we go._

"Oh. Hey." Santana couldn't hide the dejection in her voice as she opened the door to see Quinn standing in the hallway. Alone. No Brittany. Not that she wasn't happy to see her, but she wasn't exactly the blonde she'd been hoping for.

"Try not to sound too disappointed, Santana." Quinn replied with an amused smile as she made her way into the apartment.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I just- I'm surprised not to see Brittany with you. Figured you guys would come together." Santana tried to make her tone sound as cool and breezy as possible as she closed the front door and turned to face Quinn.

"Brittany's not coming-"

"_What?!" _Santana cut her off, eyes wide and unable to hide her emotions this time. _She had got to be freaking joking._

"-until a bit later." Quinn continued with a chuckle, slightly taken aback by Santana's outburst. "She had to pop to the store again on her way here. Something about a secret ingredient? I don't know, she seemed pretty excited about her cocktails. Anyway, she'll be here soon. Until then, you'll just have to put up with your _second _best friend." She winked and shoved Santana playfully who rolled her eyes. "Here." She added, handing over a bottle of Santana's favourite red wine she'd been carrying. "Congratulations. Seriously, you were great up there S." The brunette took the wine and couldn't help but smile genuinely. _Quinn knew her too well. _Santana thanked her sincerely before leading her over to the kitchen area. There they found Kurt and Rachel standing glaring at each other over by the far counter, bickering over something entirely pointless.

"Kurt, as I said, I do commend your effort," Rachel was saying in a condescending manner. "But the smoked salmon _really _should be cut a great deal thinner than that. We don't want our guests choking now do we?" She was stood with one hand on her hip and the other gesturing with a spatula to a tray of elaborately prepared canapés in front of Kurt. _Jesus Christ, Santana was going to need a drink soon._

"Look, Rachel. I realise that you're currently top of your class at NYADA, and have just procured yourself your first fancy off-Broadway audition," Kurt replied in a sarcastic tone, one completely lost on Rachel who was grinning smugly at his words. "But you're a vegan. You don't even _eat_ salmon."

"Just because my lifestyle choice prohibits me from enjoying fish myself, doesn't mean I don't possess knowledge regarding its preparation." Rachel responded. Her voice was now raised and she was pointing her spatula accusingly at Kurt. "I'll have you know, that I we vegans actually know a great deal about-" She was cut off by Santana groaning loudly. "Oh, I uh- Quinn!" She squealed, the frustration on her face immediately dissolving as she caught sight of the blonde and ran over to pull her into a hug. "I didn't realise you were here! Oh, and you brought us wine, how _sweet._" She went to take the bottle but Santana tightened her grasp.

"Oh no. Get your man hands away, Berry. This one's mine." Santana said forcefully, holding the wine out of reach and grabbing a large glass from the cabinet. If she was going to put up with Rachel all night she needed all the alcohol she could get. "Besides, you need a clear head if you're going to finish your fish… _things." _She poured herself a generous glass of wine and took a large gulp as she watched Kurt and Quinn say their hellos. Kurt then returned to the salmon, ignoring Rachel who tried to bat his hand away. Santana rolled her eyes at her ridiculous roommates and poured another glass for Quinn, since she imagined she would be just as in need of a stiff drink as her. Glad to have some sane conversation around there for once, she chatted for a while with her friend. They discussed Santana's performance and when she was expecting to get her grades, and Quinn told her about her classes at NYU and her upcoming exams.

About fifteen minutes later, Mike and Tina arrived. Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee had finally finished the canapés – it looked like they'd prepared enough to feed about a hundred people – and they rushed to greet their friends.

"It's so lovely to see you guys!" Rachel sang, bringing them both in for a three-way hug.

"Yes, it's been ages!" Kurt agreed as they made their way into the apartment. "Thanks for joining our humble little soiree." He smiled warmly and hugged them both.

"Thanks for having us!" Tina replied enthusiastically as she made her way into the living area. "Santana!" She squealed, pulling her into a tight hug, much to the Latina's surprise. Sure, she liked Tina, and she'd actually spent quite a lot of time with her since moving to New York because she'd been living with Quinn, but they weren't on hugging terms quite yet.

"Asian Persuasion." Santana responded with a smirk, peeling herself from the Tina's hold and nodding at her and Mike. "How's life now that you're practically married?"

"We're not _married_." Tina replied with a giggle, looking up to Mike who gazed back at her adoringly. "Just living together."

"It's great, though. We're loving it." Mike added with a grin. "Santana, I managed to catch your performance earlier. Nailed it, well done." He said genuinely and squeezed Santana's shoulder. She smiled shyly and thanked him. That meant a lot coming from Mike. That kid sure knew what he was talking about when it came to dancing. After they'd all said their hellos and chatted a little more, Rachel led them excitedly to the living area and forced them to sit down while she retrieved the canapés. She returned smiling proudly and carrying the tray of food. "So, to start we'll be having delicately wrapped salmon parcels with a deliciously smooth and creamy-"

"Berry, no one cares. Just hand out the damn food already before people starve." The others chuckled and Rachel looked a little hurt, before composing herself and setting the tray down on the coffee table. Kurt disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a bottle of wine and glasses and the group drifted back into conversation but Santana didn't join in. Instead she grabbed herself a handful of Doritos and glanced at the clock to see what the time was. She was getting impatient. She wanted Puck to arrive with the music and more importantly she wanted Brittany to arrive. She was the whole reason she was looking forward to tonight. Santana couldn't get the images from earlier out of her head; how she and Brittany had made out backstage, how her body had felt once again pressed up against her own, and how the sensation of kissing her had filled her with all the energy and confidence she needed to go out and boss her performance. Brittany's soft touch and her gentle words of encouragement had made Santana feel as if she could accomplish anything, and the thought of that made her insides all warm and tingly.

At that moment there was another knock at the door and Santana leapt up excitedly, much to the surprise of the others. "It's, uh, probably Puck with the speakers." She muttered before taking a few measured steps over to the door. _Please don't be Puck, please don't be Puck._

"Hey." _Yes!_ Brittany stood in the doorway, clutching a couple of shopping bags and smiling from ear to ear. Santana didn't bother to look at the bags because _holy mother of god. _Brittany looked incredible. Like, that crop top last week had been amazing, but this was something else. She held her breath as she unashamedly raked her eyes over Brittany's body – she figured it was allowed seeing as she _was _her secret date and had said she would be dressing up for _her_ benefit, so… The blonde was wearing an extremely tight blue dress which hugged Brittany's dancer physique deliciously. It couldn't have been much shorter, showing off her impossibly long and toned legs and her _cleavage_ – well, let's just say Santana thought _her _dress was revealing. _Wow _is all she could think and was apparently all she could say as well because it actually came out in a sort of breathy whisper. Brittany giggled and smiled smugly, clearly rather pleased with her efforts.

"H-Hi, Britt." Santana managed to stutter and she couldn't stop herself from wrapping her arms around her neck and hugging her. _Whoa, _that may have been the first hug she has ever initiated. _What was happening to her? _She heard Brittany inhale sharply as their breasts pressed up against each other's in the tight embrace and Santana couldn't help herself from leaning in and whispering ever so quietly in the blonde's ear.

"You look _incredibly_ sexy." She felt Brittany tense against her as her lips ghosted her earlobe and Santana smirked. She pulled away, realising everyone else was still sitting in the living room while they were just stood there in the doorway. She took the bags from Brittany who thanked her sweetly, and Santana couldn't help but notice that her eyes were now a much darker shade of blue. _This was going to be fun._

"Guys, Britt's here!" Santana announced as she led the blonde towards the others, who all squealed and jumped up to hug her and fuss over her. _Wow, guess everyone loved themselves a bit of Brittany. _

"Brittany, this is Mike and Tina." Quinn said, gesturing over to the couple who were sat on the sofa next to Kurt. "They went to high school with us. Tina used to live with me and-"

"Mike!" Brittany squealed and jumped over to give him a hug.

"Brittany!" He replied just as enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up, much to the surprise of the others.

"You too know each other?" Kurt questioned, glancing between the two of them in confusion.

"Totally. Mikey's in my dance class." Brittany said excitedly, giggling as he plonked her back on the floor.

"Yeah and she's a total badass. Definitely gives me a run for my money." He winked at her and then began introducing her to Tina.

"But Mike, aren't you in a senior class? I thought Brittany was a junior." Rachel said, sitting down next to Quinn on the other sofa.

"Yeah, but Brittany's, like, ten times better than anyone else so they let her take a few senior classes." He nudged her shoulder playfully and she blushed. _So cute._

"Britt, that's awesome." Santana was about to be embarrassed about how awestruck she'd just sounded but she really couldn't care less once she caught sight of the adorable smile stretching across Brittany's face. _Definitely worth it. _

"Gosh, Brittany you're so talented!" Rachel chimed, staring up eyes wide at her. Brittany was standing next to Mike, shuffling her feet and looking a little embarrassed. "We should really arrange to get together sometime and share our expertise. I mean, I could give you singing lessons and you could give me some tips on dancing. It'd be a fantastic bonding exercise! And so beneficial for our careers." She was now sat right forward in her seat and her voice had gone all fast and high-pitched like it did whenever she got really excited. "We could even talk to our professors, see if they'd let us perform together. I'll look through my timetable and see when I could-"

"Berry," Santana cut her off, feeling the need to save a now very awkward-looking Brittany and also kind of a little jealous at the idea of Brittany giving Rachel private dance classes. _Was that weird?_ "How about you stop harassing Britt here the moment she's just walked in the door. Besides, she needs to get started on those cocktails. I wants to get my drink on." Brittany smiled gratefully at Santana and eagerly followed her over to the kitchen area, leaving the others to chat amongst themselves. When they were finally out of ear shot, Brittany whispered a _thank you _to Santana who chuckled. "Sorry, she can get a little carried away. I'd take it as a compliment. She only ever wants to perform with people she thinks are as talented as she is." Brittany grinned and joined Santana by the island where she was emptying out various bottles of vodka, tequila and rum from the shopping bags, as well as various sliced fruit and juices. "Now, let's talk about that dress."

Brittany's grin turned into a smirk as Santana's gaze drifted down to her cleavage. "You like it?" She asked, in a voice that somehow managed to be adorably cute and incredibly sexy at the same time. Santana just nodded and licked her lips slowly before looking up and grinning slyly at the blonde. "Just keeping up my part of the deal." Brittany said with an air of innocence that Santana saw right through. "And I'm glad to see your keeping up _your _end too." Brittany added, letting her eyes roam suggestively over Santana's skin-tight dress and down her tanned, bare legs. Santana felt a twinge somewhere in her lower abdomen. _Was it too soon to take her up on her offer and drag her away to her bedroom?_ Before she could decide though, her thoughts were broken by a loud male voice and she looked up to see Puck entering the apartment, a large grin on his face and carrying a massive set of speakers.

"No one panic, Puckasaurus has arrived!" _Classic Puck. _She rolled her eyes at Brittany who giggled and they watched as the tall, muscular guy make his way around the group, greeting his friends and picking each of them up in massive bear hugs. He then caught sight of the two girls in the kitchen and made his way over to them, his grin widening. "Lopez. Blondie." He nodded in their directions before making his way round the island and bringing them both in for an extremely tight hug. "Both looking _hot_." He smirked as he pulled away and dragged his gaze across both their chests.

"Gross. Please stop leering, Fuckerman." Santana spat, shaking her head at the idiotic grin still plastered across his face. "Britt, you remember the delightful human being that is Noah Puckerman?" Brittany nodded and giggled as he took her hand and kissed it. _Sleaze._

"Of course she does. How could anyone forget this ruggedly handsome face?"

"Or the dead rodent which seems to be stuck on top of it." Santana added with a smirk. Puck ignored her and grinned some more before eyeing the two friends with a mischievous look.

"So, you two done the nasty yet?" _Fucking hell._

"Oh, fuck off Puckerman! Go be useful and set up the music. I have a feeling Berry might be about to start one of her impromptu performances." She waved him off with her hand and he returned to the others with a chuckle. Sure enough, Rachel was standing up in front of the TV, rifling through some sheet music. _Oh dear lord, we need some alcohol. _"Sorry about that, Britt-Britt. He's such a perve, ignore him. Now, for the love of god, let's see about these drinks. Think we're going to need it." She gestured over to Rachel, who was looking very upset as Puck moved her out the way to set up the sound system. Brittany giggled.

"It's fine, he's funny. Kind of gross though." She scrunched up her nose and Santana laughed and reached up to the cupboard to grab a load of red plastic cups.

"Tell me about it. And I was lucky enough to have sex with that delightful creature." They both giggled and she began laying the cups out on the island, before turning to Brittany for instruction. "So, let's see you work your magic. I wanna try for myself these so-called _awesome_ cocktails." Brittany chuckled and winked. She immediately got to work, pouring various mixtures of vodka, rum and fruit juices into cups like an absolute pro. "Wow, look at you go." _Was it weird that this was totally turning her on?_

"Okay, try this one." Brittany handed her a red plastic cup with an eager smile on her face. "Wait!" Santana froze with the drink halfway to her lips as Brittany popped a pink umbrella into it and nodded with satisfaction. _Adorable. _

"Oh my _god_, this in incredible, Britt!" Santana practically groaned because _holy hell, _it really was. Thank god Berry hadn't been in charge of alcohol after all. "What's in it?"

"Well," She began, looking entirely pleased with herself. "That one's vodka, cranberry juice, fresh lime, a little tropical juice and some- whoa, I so nearly just told you my secret ingredient!" Brittany lifted her hand to her heart in relief and Santana couldn't help but feel totally and utterly smitten right now because _how cute was she?_

"Your secret ingredient? Ooh what is it?" She scanned the counter in an attempt to spot an ingredient she hadn't noticed. Brittany just grinned and shook her head.

"Nice try, Santana. No one knows my secret ingredient. Not even Lord Tubbington." _Who? Oh, right. Her huge cat. _

"What, you can't even tell me?" Santana stuck out her bottom lip and did her best puppy-dog impression. Brittany looked at her for a moment, scrunching up her brow and considering the idea.

"I'll think about it." She decided to settle with and Santana grinned. They stood there for a moment, smiling widely at each other and just taking each other in. Santana felt so content in that moment, so happy and warm and safe looking into those bright blue eyes, that if it wasn't for the others, she would have wanted to stay there all night. "Right, we better get back in there." Brittany said reluctantly after a while, as if having the same thoughts. "How would you like to accompany your _secret date_ back to the living room?" She beamed and Santana's heart melted just a little bit. Having placed brightly coloured little umbrellas in the rest of the cups, the girls carried the drinks between them into the living area and handed them to their friends, who were chatting and laughing contentedly. The music started up and Santana and Brittany squeezed down beside each other on the sofa next to Quinn, still grinning ear to ear.

"To Santana!" Kurt announced to the group, raising his cup in the air. "She did us proud up there today." They all shouted _To Santana _and pushed their cups together. Everyone praised Brittany on the cocktails, except for Rachel, whose eyes were screwed shut and her face was all scrunched up.

"I might have put a little extra rum in Rachel's." Brittany whispered with a mischievous grin to Santana. _Most awesome person ever._

**…**

_Things had definitely escalated_.

Santana was sprawled out on the floor by the coffee table, staring up at the ceiling and giggling hysterically, though she didn't quite know why. Her head was all fuzzy and she couldn't really think straight about anything except how freaking hilarious their ceiling was right now. Like, it was _really _high. And white. And so... pretty! _Right, maybe Britt had added a little extra rum to her cocktail too. _The lights were dimmed and Rihanna was blasting from the speakers, though she couldn't really focus on what song it was, and she wasn't sure how long they'd been partying, but she was definitely having fun. _So much fun._ But why the hell was she lying on the floor? She rolled onto her stomach, snorting with laughter again at how silly everything seemed to look when it was spinning, and managed to focus her blurry vision on the couch in front of her, where Rachel and Kurt were sitting. Actually, Rachel seemed to be standing, or bouncing maybe, on the sofa, clutching her tray of canapés to her chest and pointing at Kurt who was sitting cross-legged beneath her on the couch.

"Kurt!" Rachel shouted as she jumped up and down, straining to be heard above the music. "I am _so _sorry! I should have listened to youuu, you're _so_ wise!" She slurred to a giggling Kurt. "Because… because… Do you know why?" He shook his head violently, clutching his sides as he laughed hysterically. "Because these salmon… these salmon p… p-pa- because _these," _She lifted the tray above her head dramatically as if she were holding some kind of holy offering. "Are the best foods, in the hissstory of the world that I has ever tasted!" At that Kurt could no longer control himself and toppled off the couch, erupting into a fit of laughter. Rachel then began to throw canapés at him, which she also found hilarious.

"Santana!" Rachel shrieked as the Latina heaved herself up from the floor and wobbled a little. "Try one!" She tossed a salmon parcel in her direction, only it veered off course and smacked Quinn on the arm. The blonde didn't seem to notice however as she clung onto Puck and sobbed hysterically, telling him how much of a great friend he was. Santana burst out laughing again before being tackled into a hug by a very drunk Rachel. "San-a-na, seriou-ly" She mumbled through a mouthful of food. "I looove you. You're so great and pretty and wonderfully, wonderfully mean!" Santana snorted again because _how great was drunk Berry?_

"Berry… Berry!" Santana stammered in between laughs. "I fucking love you too!" She'd probably regret admitting that in the morning, but who the hell cares? She wouldn't remember anyway. "Do you know why?" Rachel pulled back from the embrace and stared at her with an expression of all seriousness that made Santana giggle even more. "Because you're a- you're a-" She couldn't get the words out, partly because she was laughing so hard and partly because she couldn't really remember what she was trying to say. "You're a _vegan! _And you're… eating _s-salmon!" _She managed to get out before collapsing on the floor again in a fit of laughter. Rachel just stared down at her for a second, frozen with a canapé in her hand before snorting with laughter too and falling on top of the Latina.

"Best. Party. Ever!" Rachel screamed before rolling off Santana and smacking her head on the coffee table. Getting bored of lying on the floor, Santana jumped up, suddenly full of energy and scanned the room to see what else could entertain her. Or _who _else could entertain her. Where the hell was Britt? She sniggered at an overly emotional Quinn before nearly tripping over a pair of legs sticking out from behind the sofa. She peered down to see Mike and Tina furiously making out on the floor behind the couch and laughed even harder when she noticed Brittany sitting cross-legged next to them, grinning and taking pictures on her phone.

"Santanaaa!" Brittany squealed, jumping up from the floor and flinging her arms around her friend. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, Britt-Britt!" She replied because she decided that she _really _had, though she imagined it had only been a few minutes since she'd seen her. She pulled down Brittany's dress which had ridden up a little from sitting down. "Guess what?"

"Oh my god, you discovered my secret ingredient! Or did Lord Tubbs find out and _he _told you? Is he here? Did you invite him?" Santana laughed as Brittany whipped her head around in search of her cat.

"Rachel… ate _fish!"_ She wasn't sure why she was telling her this but it just seemed so goddam funny. Brittany's face scrunched up in confusion for a second before she burst out laughing and clung onto Santana for support.

"That's… I just… This is such an awesome party!" Brittany managed to stammer out in between giggles before grabbing Santana's hand and leading her to the kitchen area. "I thinks we needs more drinks!" _I think we do too. _They ran into the kitchen, giggling and stumbling a little. Santana reached up on her tip toes to grab more cups from the cupboard but squealed as she felt Brittany squeeze her waist tightly.

"_Britt!" _She shrieked as the blonde swiveled her round and grinned mischievously, before tickling her sides. "Bri- ahh! S-stop!" Santana giggled helplessly and squirmed under her tight grip. Brittany eventually relented and moved her hands to sit on the counter either side of the Latina, trapping her. Santana glanced up to make sure the others weren't looking as Brittany leaned in and ghosted her lips across her neck, before whispering in her ear. She shuddered as her breath tickled her neck and felt her insides heat up.

"Remember, I'm your secret date. Anytime you want, you're allowed to-" But before she could finish Santana had grabbed her hands and was dragging her out of the kitchen and into the corridor. In her slightly blurry mind all she was thinking about was feeling Brittany's lips against her own. She didn't even bother going all the way down the hall to her room and instead pushed open the door of the bathroom and pulled the blonde inside. Once it was locked behind them, Santana pushed Brittany up against the door and attacked her with her lips. She sucked and nipped at her neck, dragging her tongue along her collarbone as the blonde whimpered.

"_Santana-" _Brittany gasped and gripped the Latina's neck, pulling her face up to finally connect their lips. Santana moaned into the kiss and immediately parted her lips to allow Brittany's tongue to slide into her mouth and brush against her own. Her light-headed feeling from the alcohol seemed to intensify with the sensation of their tongues exploring each other's mouths and their bodies pressed up flush against each other, and her head was spinning in a delicious way. Suddenly Brittany pushed her backwards, her hands sliding from her neck, grabbing at her ass before gripping onto her thighs and lifting her up onto the counter by the sink. _Fuck it was so hot when she did that. _This time Brittany's tongue began to explore her neck, pressing hard kisses along her jaw line and down her throat, before sucking gently on her cleavage just above the low neckline of her dress.

"_Fuck, Britt-"_ Santana groaned with pleasure and wrapped her legs around Brittany's waist, pulling her closer. Their lips connected once again and she felt arousal tugging at her stomach as Brittany's hands began to roam her abs and then up to cup her breasts and _holy shit-_ "Britt-" She panted through the kiss and Brittany hummed against her lips, massaging her nipples through the material of her dress and feeling them harden under her touch. _Fuck, she was so damn good at that. _"Brittany." She said again, a little louder this time as she broke apart from the kiss, realising she was getting way too turned on and the others might be beginning to wonder where they were. Brittany's hands left her breasts to rest on her stomach and she stared back at her with those blue eyes, grinning and breathing heavily.

"Hey." She whispered and pressed another kiss to Santana's lips, this time soft and sensual.

"That was kind of amazing." Santana breathed out, still panting but smiling widely back at her friend.

"_You're _kind of amazing." Brittany responded and Santana sighed happily. "We should probably get back though, huh?"

"Probably." Santana said reluctantly, before grinning again. "I have an idea though." She unwrapped her legs from around Brittany's waist and hopped down from the counter, taking her hand and leading her towards the door. Before she could open it, Brittany leaned in behind her and whispered in her ear.

"You should remember that as you're secret date, I'm allowed to _secretly _flirt with you all night, whenever I want." The breath caught somewhere at the back of Santana's throat and her whole body tightened as Brittany took her earlobe in her mouth and sucked on it gently. "Just, warning you is all." Santana giggled before unlocking the door and leading them back to the party, her legs a little wobbly from the arousal now pounding between them.

As they re-entered the living room, Santana began to think they probably could have stayed in the bathroom all night and no one would have noticed because the sight they were met with was something else. Rachel had returned to standing on the sofa, but now seemed to be performing some sort of lap dance to a horrified-looking Quinn below her. Mike was leading Tina in what looked like a waltz on the coffee table (despite the fact that Eminem was now blaring from the speakers) and Puck was running around the room with a squealing Kurt on his shoulders. Brittany and Santana glanced at each other before giggling and they let go of each other's hand as they approached the group.

"Right, kids!" Santana shouted above the music, feeling a little more sober after her make-out session. No one seemed to hear her though above the pounding base and loud rapping of Eminem. "Oi!" She shouted louder as she turned the music off and everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and turned to her. "It's time for a party game. Let's play some pool!" She gestured over to the snooker table in the corner and internally congratulated herself when she heard Brittany squeal with excitement beside her. The others though, looked a great deal less interested. Kurt clambered down from Puck's shoulders and groaned something about never understanding the rules of pool, Rachel stared blankly at her from her place on the sofa and Tina and Mike returned once again to their rather disturbing PDA. "Not just _any _pool, losers. _Strip _pool!" At this Puck cheered and fist pumped the air, Quinn seemed to perk up and Rachel, much to everyone's surprise, squealed and clapped her hands excitedly. Santana turned to Brittany who was now wearing a little smirk and her eyes were twinkling mischievously. _Nailed it. _

Santana cranked up the music again and grabbed a bottle of vodka from the kitchen island before making her way over to the pool table. "Puckerman, enlighten us with the rules please." She heaved the Asian duo off the coffee table and began dragging a sceptical-looking Kurt over to the pool table. Rachel rushed over excitedly, pulling Quinn and Brittany with her and the group congregated around the table.

"Right guys and gals." Puck began with an evil grin. "This is how it works: you make a shot, you get to take an item of clothing from someone." Kurt groaned and Rachel giggled like a little girl. "You miss a shot, you have to drink. You miss the ball altogether, pot the white or make another dumbass move like that, and you have to do a dare." Various cheers went around the room and Santana began refilling everyone's glasses with vodka. She chanced a glance at Brittany who was looking back at her with a flirtatious grin. _This was going to get interesting._

**…**

"I get Rachel's top!" Quinn shrieked as Rachel, a little too eagerly wriggled out of her pink cami. It seemed everyone had ganged up on Rachel, who was far too drunk to care and was actually finding the whole thing '_invigorating'_ as she kept putting it. _Weird._ Santana's shoes were both gone and she'd managed to pass off her hair band as another item because now all that was left was her dress. She'd been keeping a close eye on Brittany, whose heels were also kicked off over in the corner and was one move away from losing her dress too. Santana's stomach tightened just at the thought.

"Puck, get those pants off!" Tina ordered, who had lost her shoes and tights, and he immediately obeyed with a wink, pulling off his jeans and tossing them onto the couch. Santana was feeling pretty buzzed again – it turned out that after a few drinks, she wasn't quite as skilled at this game as she usually was, and had knocked back quite a lot of vodka as a result. Her head was all foggy again, she could feel the base of the music pounding through her body deliciously and she definitely couldn't think straight – partly due to the alcohol but probably a lot more because her turn was coming up and all she could think about was getting Brittany's dress off. The blonde had stayed true to her word: during the game, she'd kept looking over at Santana and teasing her with seductive smiles or winks, and whenever she rounded the table to make a move, she'd _accidentally _brush her ass with her hand. Santana's breath had hitched each time Brittany had leaned over the table – a little more so than necessary - to make a shot and she'd been met with a full-on view of her cleavage. It was safe to say the Latina was feeling a little worked up. But before she could think any more about the increasing throbbing between her legs, Puck shouted, pulling her back to reality.

"Blondie! Dress. Now." _Oh my god. _After considering for a split second that those words may have actually come from her own mouth, she whipped her head up to look at Brittany. She was smirking and Santana felt her entire body heat up. _Holy shit. _Brittany was going to take her dress off. Brittany would no longer be wearing her dress. Just her underwear. She was going to see _Brittany_ in her underwear_. Stay calm._

Feeling her cheeks getting hot she wrenched her gaze away from Brittany to look at Puck, not sure whether she should be pissed at him for forcing her to strip or running up to him and hugging him. She was surprised to see Puck looking right back at her and then realisation sunk in when he winked and grinned evilly. He was doing this to mess with her. He knew there was something going on between them and he wanted to watch her squirm. _Oh, she was so going to get him for this. _Santana returned her attention to Brittany as she heard the group begin to chant her name.

"_Brittany! Brittany! Brittany!_"

Rachel was still giggling hysterically, Kurt and Quinn, who had somehow managed to stay almost entirely clothed, were looking very amused and Tina was desperately trying to cover a shirtless Mike's eyes. Santana didn't really notice them though because the rest of the room started to kind of disappear. The music now sounded sort of muffled and everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. The breath caught at the back of her throat as blue eyes locked onto her own and Brittany's smirk tugged wider at her lips. Santana gulped and tried to ignore the growing tugs of arousal at her stomach as Brittany teased her hands slowly down her dress. Santana left Brittany's intense gaze and instead followed her fingers, watching them entranced as they made their tantalising journey down her body, before gripping the hem of her dress midway down her thigh. She felt her breathing quicken and her heart begin to race as Brittany ever so slowly began to inch her dress upwards, revealing more toned thigh, and then pink lace underwear. _Holy shit. _The throbbing between Santana's legs was almost unbearable now as the blonde lifted the material up further. Brittany's toned abs soon came into view and Santana managed not to whimper when she pulled the dress above her shoulders and exposed a matching pink bra which was covering the most perfect breasts Santana had ever seen. _Brittany was fucking beautiful. _

The blonde tossed her dress somewhere on the floor and her eyes once again found Santana's. Santana couldn't breathe or think and her mouth was probably hanging open because _holy fuck she'd never seen anything so incredible. _All she could think about was pressing herself up against Brittany's half naked body, touching it and running her tongue all over it. Brittany seemed to read her thoughts because she grinned wider and her eyes twinkled with mischief. Santana's breathing was now heavy, she could feel herself getting seriously hot and she knew she should look away right about now because she wasn't exactly being subtle. Luckily she was pulled back to reality by Puck cheering loudly. The room rushed back into focus and the music returned to its normal volume again and she managed to tear her eyes away from Brittany's.

"Woo! Go Blondie!" He threw his fist in the air and the others applauded. Brittany took a small bow and giggled as Kurt wolf whistled. Santana could feel Brittany's gaze on her once again but she refused to meet it, knowing that if she did she definitely wouldn't be able to control herself. Her head was still spinning and she decided she'd probably drunk enough. Everyone else seemed to be losing interest in the game too. Puck was still rooted to the spot, cue in hand, gaping at Brittany, Kurt had his eyes closed and was swaying slowly to the music and a very drunk Tina was clinging onto Mike and shouting. Or more like sobbing.

"Mike! Mike! Don't look at her! I saaw you, you were loooking at her! Look at _meee!" _She made a failed attempt to wriggle out of her top but managed to end up all tangled and with her head stuck in a sleeve. "Help! W-what's happening? I can't see!" She began to panic and a very amused-looking Mike chuckled and shook his head before coming to her rescue. A topless Rachel was now sat on the pool table, holding an empty glass up to her eye.

"I thinks… Is- is this empty?" She slurred to no one in particular and began to look around her, using the glass as a kind of telescope. "I's think my glass is empty!" She shouted before jumping down from the table and running – like, full on _sprinting - _over to the kitchen shouting something about getting another drink. Only she didn't quite make it to the kitchen because she tripped over the leg of the coffee table and shrieked as she tumbled to the floor in an epic fall. Everyone froze and turned to look in disbelief at Rachel, who was lying face down on the floor. "I'M OKAY!" She shouted after a few seconds of silence and shot up, throwing her hands in the air with an enormous grin. At that, everyone burst into laughter including Santana, who had to grip onto the pool table for support because _that was freaking hilarious. _

"Alright, I think it's time for bed, Rach." Quinn chuckled as she put her arm around her friend and began leading her towards the hallway.

"But I don't wanna go!" She whined like a small child but was far too drunk and sleepy to protest, allowing Quinn to take her to her room.

"Puckasaurus is out too." Puck announced, finally closing is gaping mouth and tearing is eyes away from Brittany. He yawned, then dived onto the couch. He winked at Santana who shot a glare in his direction before closing his eyes and settling himself down. Mike picked up a very sleepy Tina and placed her gently down on the other sofa, grabbing a blanket from the cupboard and tucking her in. _How sweet. _Santana turned to Kurt and chuckled as he continued to sway slowly to the music, completely oblivious to what was going on around him. Finally, her gaze fell back to Brittany and _wow. _She'd almost forgotten she was still half-naked and heat rushed over her body once again. Her heart rate picked up as Brittany began to step slowly towards her. Glancing around to make sure everyone was occupied, she leaned in and whispered in Santana's ear.

"I'm practically naked over here, and you're still very much fully clothed. I think we need to change that, don't you?" Her voice was soft and full of innocence but Santana couldn't help but shudder all the same. Still feeling dizzy, all she could do was nod eagerly before allowing Brittany to take her hand and lead her out of the living room, down the corridor and into her bedroom. She closed the door behind them but this time they didn't immediately attack each other. Instead Brittany just smiled a warm, adorable smile and stepped forward to stroke her hand gently over the Latina's flushed cheek. Now that they were finally alone, Santana took the time to fully appreciate the sight in front of her. Brittany's body was _incredible. _She let her eyes roam over her physique, taking in the delicious curves of her cleavage, the defined lines of her abs and her long, bare legs. She felt herself sigh contentedly as Brittany pulled her into a soft kiss. It was sweet and sensual and filled with affection, and when they broke apart she looked at her with those bright blue eyes and smiled adorably. "I'm gonna take this off okay?" She said softly, placing her hands on her dress and Santana nodded, returning her smile. She felt her whole body tense as she gripped the hem of her dress and began to pull it up ever so slowly, just as she had done earlier with her own. Brittany's eyes stayed fixed on hers as she pushed the material up and Santana heard her inhale sharply as her hands brushed over her bare stomach. The Latina lifted her arms to allow Brittany to pull the dress over her head and let it fall to the floor. Finally, Brittany allowed her eyes to drop onto Santana's exposed body and she couldn't help but feel a little smug as she watched them widen and her smile grow. "_Wow." _Brittany whispered as she traced her gaze down over her black lace bra, tanned stomach and Santana heard her take another sharp breath when her gaze settled on her matching panties.

"Come here." Santana said with a smile and took Brittany's hand, leading her over to the bed. They settled down on top of the covers and lay there on their sides, facing each other. Santana leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Brittany's lips and the blonde sighed against her mouth. Although the knowledge that she was lying, semi-naked, next to an equally semi-naked Brittany sent tingles all through her body, the moment wasn't heated or desperate like it had been before in the bathroom. It felt sweet and safe and Santana thought that this was the most intimate she had felt with anyone ever. They broke apart, their eyes met and they just lay there gazing at each other.

"Britt, your body is _incredible._" Santana said quietly after a minute and the blonde smiled shyly. Santana took this opportunity to reach out and trace a finger slowly over Brittany's collarbone. "Like, _really _incredible." She grinned as she drew a gentle line over Brittany's bare skin, inhaling sharply as she met the soft curve of her cleavage before continuing down to brush over her toned stomach. Brittany was now breathing slightly faster and beamed back at Santana, before lifting her hand and mirroring her movements. _Oh my god_ was all she could think as she felt Brittany's finger ghost over her skin, pausing over her breasts and her stomach tightened as she stroked slowly over her abs.

"Santana." She whispered, bringing her gaze back up to look at her and moving her finger up to trace soft lines up and down her arm. "Your body is really incredible too. You're so beautiful." Santana's heart fluttered and she hummed contentedly into Brittany's lips as the blonde leaned in and kissed her once again. Santana didn't think she could be happier than right then in that moment and savoured every minute of it; every sensation of Brittany's tongue slowly brushing against her own and every time she sucked gently on her bottom lip. "I… I don't want you to think I want to do anything. I'm really happy we're… waiting." Brittany breathed as they eventually broke apart after what felt like hours. "I just want to stay here and hold you. Is that okay? Is it okay if I stay?" Santana couldn't help but grin stupidly because she thought right then that Brittany was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"I would love that, Britt-Britt." She replied before pressing another soft kiss to Brittany's lips and pulling her in closer. They snuggled into each other, Santana nestling into Brittany's neck and Brittany wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Santana smiled sleepily and let herself drift off to sleep, listening to the soothing sound of Brittany's steady breathing. _Yep, best party ever._

**…**


	13. Chapter 13

Hey guys! Sorry for the slightly longer wait, been crazy busy at uni. But here's a longer chapter to make up for it! Hope you enjoy. Loving the reviews. Shout outs this time to WeWearSocksFTW, AlabamaMiles, Sarah Pimz and singlevow - keep 'em coming everyone, they definitely make me write faster! Also any ideas and suggestions always welcome x

Chapter 13:

_Head. Hurts. _

Santana didn't dare open her eyes, partly because in her barely awake, groggy state she thought it would probably involve way too much energy, but mostly because she felt if she did, there was a very real possibility that her head would explode. She lay there completely still, afraid of the potential consequences of any sudden movements. _Why did she feel so shit? _

_Oh right. Last night. _

Hazy images of ridiculous amounts of rum and vodka began to flash through her foggy mind. Okay, so apparently there was a lot of drinking last night. And they'd played pool maybe. And… stripping? _Oh my god, stripping._

_Brittany. _

Ignoring her earlier fears, Santana wrenched her eyes open and then caught her breath. The memory of the previous night's party suddenly rushed over her a lot clearer now as she turned to see Brittany lying next to her, her semi-naked body barely covered by the duvet. _Wow._ The effects of Santana's hangover seemed to disappear. A lazy smile stretched across her face as she took in just how beautiful Brittany was right now. Sure, her blonde hair was sort of tangled and lay messily across her face and the previous night's make-up was smudged a little under her eyes, but Santana couldn't help but feel like the luckiest person in the world at this moment because this was the second time she'd woken up with Brittany in her bed. It almost scared her a little how completely right this felt, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Not wanting to disturb her peaceful sleeping but also feeling an overwhelming desire to be near to her, Santana shuffled herself closer to Brittany, draping her arm over her bare stomach and pressing the lightest of kisses to her exposed shoulder. Nuzzling into the blonde's neck she sighed contentedly and soaked up the warmth she was giving out. Only a second later she heard Brittany sigh too and she opened her eyes again to look at her. Brittany's eyes were still closed but a tiny smile was curving her lips. "Britt." Santana whispered. Brittany remained silent, but she was now definitely smiling. "_Britt," _She whispered again, this time a little louder. "Are you awake?" Santana couldn't help but giggle as she watched Brittany grin but shake her head. "Okay." The Latina replied through her smile, before rearranging herself a little bit. She kept her eyes glued on Brittany as she began placing soft, sensual kisses down her neck. She felt Brittany inhale sharply under her touch. "How about now?" Santana asked in a suggestive tone, her voice still husky having just woken up. Brittany just smirked wider but kept her eyes tightly shut. Santana continued this game she was now rather enjoying and poked her tongue out, running a long line with it down Brittany's throat and along her collarbone. Brittany hummed contentedly and Santana lifted her head to place a soft kiss to her cheek, but Brittany turned at the last moment and caught Santana's lips in her own. This time Santana caught her breath, taken slightly off guard, before settling into it and sighing happily against the kiss. Brittany gently sucked on her bottom lip as she wrapped her arms around the Latina's waist and pulled her on top of her. Santana's whole body warmed at the sensation of their half-naked bodies pressed flat against each other. They eventually broke apart and Santana smiled sleepily, resting her chin on the blonde's chest and looking up to meet her blue eyes. "So you _were _awake." Brittany smirked and began tracing light patterns with her finger over the soft skin of Santana's back.

"Yeah. But I was enjoying that way too much, so…" She grinned and Santana couldn't stop herself from leaning up and stealing another quick kiss. "Morning." Brittany said with a large smile and Santana's heart melted just a little. _It was doing that a lot lately. _Brittany suddenly crinkled her nose and lifted a hand to her forehead. "My head kinda hurts. My cocktails might be awesome but they're pretty lethal. I dread to think how Rachel's feeling right now." She added with a hint of a smirk and Santana giggled.

"How about we go find out?" Brittany agreed and Santana placed one last peck onto her lips before peeling herself off her and jumping off the bed. _Who needs aspirin when you have Brittany as a hangover cure?_ She grabbed the same tiny shorts and vest from her chest of drawers that she'd given Brittany the last time and handed them to her has she got out of bed. Santana stole a glance at Brittany as the blonde stood up still just in her underwear and yawned, stretching her arms up above her head. _Just… so hot. _She was almost a little disappointed when Brittany pulled on the shorts and tank top but then she grinned, remembering how freaking adorable she looked in her clothes. Brittany smiled as she caught Santana staring at her.

"I like wearing your clothes." She said in a shy voice as she pulled her hair into a high pony tail.

"I like seeing you in them." Santana replied with an even wider grin, if that was possible. She tugged on some shorts herself – an especially short pair for good measure – and a loose vest before turning to the door. "Now, let's go see what sorry state the rest of those losers are in." Brittany giggled and hurriedly followed Santana out into the corridor.

_Holy shit. _Sorry state was definitely right.

As they entered the living room the two girls stopped in their tracks, staring half in shock, half with amusement at what they saw in front of them. The room was a fucking mess. Santana had no idea how eight of them had managed to create such chaos. Red plastic cups and half eaten canapés were littered all over the floor, the coffee table was turned upside down and various items of clothing – presumably from their game of strip poker – were strewn over every available surface. Puck was passed out face down on the couch in just his boxers – _a lovely image for first thing in the morning_ – Tina and Mike were sleeping tangled in each other, very uncomfortably by the looks of things, on the other sofa and Kurt- wait, where the hell was Kurt? She was pretty sure he hadn't made it back to his room last night because his door was still wide open and there was no sign of him in there. Just as she was thinking this and mildly panicking, Brittany nudged her arm and pointed over to the pool table grinning. Santana followed her line of sight and managed to stifle a laugh as she caught sight of Kurt, fully clothed, passed out on the pool table. _Priceless._

"That is just… oh my _god_!" Santana managed to get out between stifled laughter, trying hard to whisper so as not to wake any of them up. "We have to get photo evidence of this." Santana grabbed Brittany's hand and tip toed over to the corner of the room where the pool table was and pulled her phone out from her shorts pocket. She leaned over the table carefully to get the best angle, all the while trying her hardest not to laugh. She'd forgotten to put her phone on silent though and as she took a picture the camera shutter clicked loudly only a few inches above his face. Brittany grabbed onto her arm and they froze as Kurt scrunched his nose and shuffled a little. Suddenly he shot up and looked around him, eyes wide with alarm and confusion.

"What the-" He cut himself off with a loud groan and clutched his head. "Dear god. Why does my head feel like a truck ran over it? And then reversed, and ran over it again?" He winced, as if pained by the sound of his own voice and glanced down to look at his fully clothed self and then at the green felt he was sitting on. "And why on _earth _was I sleeping on the pool table?" At this the two girls couldn't take anymore and erupted into fits of laughter, clutching onto each other for support. "I'm glad you both find this so funny." He snapped but his voice was so croaky and barely audible that it was hardly intimidating. He let himself down from the table tentatively and scanned the room with an expression of disbelief. "What _happened _here last night?" All Santana and Brittany could do was shake their heads in response whilst wiping the tears from their eyes.

"Come on, Lady Hummel, let's get you some coffee." Santana finally managed to say and made her way over to the kitchen. "And possibly a comb." She added with a smirk, eyeing his usually immaculate hair which was now sticking out at alarmingly rakish angles. His eyes widened and he shot his hand up to his head, before deciding he didn't have the energy and followed Santana to the kitchen, plonking himself down on a stool. Brittany followed, still trying hard not to laugh. "Britt, coffee?" Santana asked from her place over by the counter where she was grabbing mugs from the cupboard.

"Yes _please!"_ She practically groaned, receiving a small giggle from Santana. She poured the three of them strong cups of coffee, grabbed a packet of aspirin and joined them at the island. "Great party, Santana." Brittany said with a grin as she gratefully took the steaming mug and blew on it to cool it down.

"It really was." Santana replied with a warm smile and took a sip of her own coffee. Kurt didn't even look up. He instead kept his head in his hands and mumbled something unintelligible. Brittany and Santana exchanged amused glances over the rims of their mugs. Suddenly Kurt shot his head up and looked between them with a panicked expression.

"What time is it?" He asked, his voice still scratchy. Brittany checked her phone.

"Like 8.30. Why?" Kurt breathed a sigh of relief, before reaching for the aspirin packet and knocking back a pill with his coffee.

"Thank goodness. I have class at 11 and had a sudden panic that I'd missed it. Remind me again why we decided to throw a raging party on a Wednesday night?" He asked with another groan and took a larger gulp of coffee.

"Because, Hummel, we were celebrating my exam remember? Or did you consume so much alcohol last night that your _entire_ memory has gone?" He didn't bother to respond and instead began rubbing circles on his temples. "Besides, so what if you miss your class? Your whole Broadway career isn't going to be ruined from skipping one shitty class." He just shook his head, still massaging his throbbing temples.

"I have to go. It's an important class. We're… doing…" He trailed off, words apparently becoming too much for him. Santana chuckled and turned to Brittany, who was now swallowing an aspirin herself.

"Britt-Britt? What about you?"

"Um, I have dance theory at 12. But I so don't wanna go." She stuck out her bottom lip and pouted that adorable pout.

"Then don't! Stay here with me!" Santana suggested, cringing a little at how eager she'd sounded. She didn't want Brittany to leave, and she knew if she did that she wouldn't be able to distract herself from her hangover any longer and would probably just crawl back into bed and mong around all day. Brittany furrowed her brow, considering this suggestion, but not convinced. "Oh, _come_ _on_. You know you want to." Santana grinned at her and watched as her face softened, seemingly persuaded.

"Okay, _fine._" Brittany said with a roll of her eyes. "But if I get into trouble I'm blaming you." She narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at Santana who grinned even wider.

"Totally fair." She leapt up and wrapped her arms around Brittany's shoulders, figuring Kurt was far too hungover to think anything of it. "I'll make you an omelette as a thank you." Brittany beamed brightly and squeezed Santana's arms that were wrapped around her before the Latina got up and headed over to the fridge.

"Morning children!" Quinn sung brightly as she entered the living area. She clearly wasn't feeling the effects of the night before. She paused and looked with amusement at the sight she was met with in the living room. "Has anyone checked they're actually alive?" She mused without a scrap of concern.

"I'm sure they're fine." Brittany said with a wave of her hand, equally untroubled. "Besides, even if they're not, I don't know CPR so not much we can do." Santana chuckled over by the stove as she cracked some eggs into a pan.

"Santana, I don't think I've ever seen you make breakfast before. Are you still drunk?" Quinn asked, her voice laced with sarcasm as she peered over her friend's shoulder to inspect the omelette she was making. Santana shrugged. "Let me guess. Brittany, it's for you?" Brittany grinned and nodded and Quinn rolled her eyes. "I should have guessed. Anyway, I just wanted to warn everyone before she makes an appearance, that Rachel isn't… feeling her best, to put it delicately. So if we could all try our best to be a little _sensitive_." Santana grinned evilly at these words because tormenting a hungover Rachel Berry was one of her favourite pastimes and not something she got to indulge in very often. And _sensitive_ wasn't a word that had ever been used to describe Santana Lopez. _This was going to be fun._ She turned to look at Brittany whose eyes were also glinting mischievously. At that moment, Santana heard the door to Rachel's bedroom open and didn't even try to suppress the snort of laughter which came out when a very bedraggled looking Rachel stumbled into the living room. She was still wearing her skirt from the night before, but her pink top was inside out and the wrong way round, looking completely ridiculous with the label at the front. Her hair was matted and sticking out from one side of her head and mascara was smudged all under her eyes.

"Oh my fucking god, Berry. You look like a Jewish version of my Uncle Jeffrey. _After_ he got hit by a bus." Quinn shot her a glare but Rachel didn't even seem to register that she'd said anything as she heaved herself onto a stool and placed her forehead gently down on the table. Quinn passed her a mug of coffee with a pitying look and rubbed her back soothingly.

"I feel as if lots of tiny people have crawled inside my brain and are now proceeding to attack it with equally tiny, but very real sledge hammers." _How did Berry manage to produce such annoyingly long-winded sentences even in her hungover state?_ Rachel groaned and blindly fumbled around the island for an aspirin without attempting to look up. Quinn eventually passed it to her.

"Imagine if there really were like all these tiny little people living inside your brain, how cool would that be? They'd probably have the job of organising all our thoughts in tiny little filing cabinets of something." Brittany chirped excitedly. Santana chuckled and Quinn gave her a bemused look, while Rachel simply groaned again.

"How about some breakfast, Berry? Will that make you feel better? I'm doing omelettes." Santana asked, her mischievous smile still in place.

"How many times, Santana? I'm a vegan. We don't eat eggs." Rachel groaned again and buried her head in her hands.

"Oh right okay. I just assumed because of last night you'd, you know, changed your mind about the whole vegan thing." Santana continued, having trouble hiding the amusement in her voice. She turned round to see Brittany smirking, obviously knowing where this was going, and Rachel shot her head up.

"Why? Why would you think that?" Her voice was high and her eyes were wide with alarm.

"Oh, do you not remember?" Santana was enjoying this now. Brittany was trying her hardest not to laugh and Kurt was shaking his head.

"Remember what? Remember _what?_" She was panicking now.

"Oh, only that you stuffed down an entire tray of _salmon_ canapés. Nothing to get your granny knickers in a twist about." Santana shrugged and returned her attention to the pan. Even with her back to Rachel she could feel her realisation setting in. _One, two, three…_

"_What?!"_ Rachel shrieked, and proceeded to turn a worrying shade of green. "I can't have… I- I… I think I'm going to be sick!" With that she clasped her hand over her mouth and rushed into the bathroom, leaving behind a sniggering Santana and Brittany._ This never got old._

"What did I _just_ say, S?" Quinn attempted a scowl, but even she couldn't hide her amusement. "You just couldn't help yourself could you?"

"Look, I'm sorry that most of my jokes are borderline offensive. And by sorry, I mean you're welcome, because I'm freaking hilarious." Santana turned and placed an omelette onto the plate in front of a giggling Brittany.

"Well, aren't you just a little bundle of bitch today?" Quinn attempted an insult but her smirk gave her away. "You were in a great mood last night. Don't tell me that's over already?"

"Oh, please. You know I can't tolerate any of you losers without alcohol. Vodka seems to numb the constant urge I have to punch Berry in the face." Santana plopped an omelette onto her own plate before turning off the heat and pulling up a stool to join the others.

"Oh is that right?" She teased. "Funny, I could have sworn I heard you tell Rachel about how much you loved her last night. _And _I saw you give her a hug." Quinn chuckled at Santana, who had paused mid-mouthful and whose eyes were practically popping out of her head.

"I swear to god, Fabray. If you tell _anyone-_" She glared and jabbed a finger at Quinn. The blonde only laughed again, before shaking her head and making her way towards Rachel's room, presumably to make sure she was okay and to check hadn't passed out or anything. Santana turned back to Brittany who was now grinning.

"See, I told you you love them really." She nudged her arm playfully and laughed as Santana rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." She couldn't fight the smile that was tugging at her lips because Brittany just knew her so well. _How was that possible? _She'd only been back in her life for a couple of weeks. "Come on, finish up and we'll go get changed." Brittany smiled wide and shovelled the last of her omelette into her mouth.

"Does that mean I get to borrow more of your clothes?" Brittany's eyes were so wide and her voice was so hopeful, just as if she was a small child who was asking if she could stay up past bedtime. Santana couldn't help but smile again and she looked deep into those bright blue eyes.

"Yes, Britt."

**…**

After they'd showered and dressed – Brittany had chosen grey sweatpants and a pink NYADA t-shirt of Santana's which just looked freaking adorable on her – the other's had all left. Quinn had gone home to study, _again_, Kurt and Rachel had hurried off to class – god knows how or why considering the state of both of them – Tina and Mike had probably disappeared off to their apartment, and Puck had left for his shift at Lola's. He'd seemed on surprisingly good form considering the amount of vodka he'd had the night before, but he announced it was because he was 95% sure he was still drunk.

So now it was just Santana and Brittany in the apartment. They were settled down on the big leather sofa, Brittany facing towards the TV and Santana leaning with her back against the armrest and her legs over Brittany's lap. Santana had said that Brittany could choose the movie, and then smiled hard when she'd responded almost immediately with Finding Nemo. Sure, Santana loved that movie, it was genius, but she was finding herself rather distracted right now. She was watching the blonde beside her with fascination, or awe, or something like that. She knew she was staring, but she didn't really care. She couldn't take her eyes off Brittany's profile; the way she would adorably scrunch up her eyebrows when something was going wrong in the film, and then the way her face would melt into a large grin whenever something funny happened.

"Dory is like my long-lost cousin or something." Brittany mused without releasing her gaze from the screen and Santana grinned wider. _She was so cute. _She thought Brittany might be able to feel her eyes on her because a few minutes later the blonde lifted her hands to rest on her ankles, and then began tracing soft patterns on the bare skin there. Santana felt that place somewhere in her lower abdomen twinge again and kept her eyes on Brittany's hands. Her touches were so soft and slow and almost therapeutic, that she let her head fall back onto the arm rest and allowed her eyes to close. She immediately opened them again however when she felt Brittany's touch move slowly higher up her calf. Brittany's eyes were still glued to the TV and Santana couldn't tell if the tiny curve at her lips was because of something happening in the film or because of the shiver that had just run over Santana's body. Her stomach tightened again as Brittany moved her hands behind Santana's knees and her fingers began their soft circles once again. She felt her muscles tense and attempted to hide her sharp intake of air because _that spot_ got her every time. It sent delicious tingles down her body and made her heart beat just that little bit faster, and she was sure Brittany had noticed because her smirk was growing wider. Even though they were still fixed on the television, Santana could see the twinkle in those blue eyes and she knew she was being teased. She shuffled slightly on the couch and scooted a little closer to the blonde, whose lips curved upwards even further. Brittany's hands were now on Santana's bare thighs – _she silently thanked god she'd kept her tiny shorts on_ – and now she could feel the heat beginning to gather between her legs. She glanced around the room quickly, she didn't know why really because she knew no one was home, and then in one swift movement she lifted one of her legs over Brittany's waist and straddled her. Brittany gasped a little in surprise before placing her hands on Santana's hips and grinning.

"Hi." Santana said softly as she lost herself in blue eyes.

"Santanaaa, I can't see the TV." Brittany whined playfully as she moved her head from side to side in an attempt to see the screen. "I mean, I've seen this movie like a thousand times, but still. They're just about to meet the turtles and those guys are super cool." Santana smiled even wider at just how adorable Brittany was right now and looped her arms around her neck.

"Well, the thing is," Santana began, her grin still wide and moving one of her hands to slowly trace a finger up and down Brittany's arm. "No one else is here right now. We have the apartment all to ourselves." She widened her eyes suggestively and Brittany immediately stopped her squirming and met her gaze. A smirk was pulling at her lips and her hands tightened their grip on Santana's hips.

"Oh." Brittany replied softly, her eyes darting between Santana's eyes and her lips. "Well in _that_ case," She pulled the Latina further towards her in her lap so that their faces were now inches apart. A sudden wave of heat rushed over Santana as she felt her centre press down against Brittany's and she gulped hard. "This view is _way _better than the TV." Brittany pressed the off switch on the remote and moved her hands to rest on Santana's tummy. She slipped them inside her t-shirt and Santana heard her breathing hitch as Brittany's hands stroked over her bare skin. Her stomach was hot and the coolness of Brittany's touch sent shivers down her body – the delicious kind. "So they won't be back for a while?" Santana tried to control her breathing as she shook her head _no._ "And there's definitely no one else here?" Her hands continued to roam Santana's bare stomach and she shook her head again. She felt kind of light-headed under Brittany's soft but deliberate touches and the intensity of her gaze. She couldn't figure out if the way she was looking at her completely terrified her or made her feel like the happiest person in the world. No one had ever looked at her like that. Actually, that wasn't true. _Brittany _had looked at her like that. She always had, even when they were little. It was a look that held so much affection and made her feel so safe. She knew then that this was right, it always had been.

Santana lifted the hand that had been stroking up and down Brittany's arm, and brushed it gently over her cheek. She slowly leaned even further forward so that their lips were now almost touching and she could feel Brittany's breath against her face. Blue eyes searched her own and she smiled before whispering. "Britt, I'm… I think I'm…" _Shit, why was this so hard?_ She took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm ready." Brittany smiled the widest smile Santana had seen and closed the distance between them, finally catching her lips in her own. Santana sighed into the kiss and brought her other hand up to cup Brittany's face. Brittany hummed into her mouth as Santana's tongue pushed past her lips to brush against her own before-

_Holy mother of fuck. _She hadn't heard it. She hadn't heard the footsteps leading up to the door or the jangling of keys outside, and she hadn't heard the front door until it slammed shut. _No, no, no._

Santana broke away from Brittany and leapt up off the couch so fast she nearly stumbled backwards into the coffee table. She shot her eyes up to see Rachel frozen by the door part way through taking her jacket off. _Shit, shit, shit. _Santana was pretty sure her heart had stopped beating. She may actually be having a heart attack right here in the living room. Rachel was rooted to the spot, her eyes wide with shock and her mouth slightly ajar. She looked slowly between Santana, who was still frozen by the coffee table, her cheeks a deep shade of pink, and Brittany, who was sitting completely still on the sofa, her eyes wide and her breathing heavy. None of them knew what to say or where to look. _Oh my god. This was not happening. This could not be happening. Fuck, fuck, fuck. _She tried to say something, anything, but her head was spinning. She felt like she might pass out. Rachel was eventually the one who broke the silence.

"I, uh- I'm so sorry!" She blurted out, tearing her gaze away from her friends and looking awkwardly at the floor. "I didn't mean to- I uh, I had to leave my class because I thought I was going to puke again. I'm so sor-."

"Berry." Santana snapped. Guess her voice was working again. "This wasn't… It, uh… wasn't what it looked like." She was trying to find the right words, but her brain wasn't really working. All she knew was that she was no way ready for anyone to know about this, especially blabber-mouth Berry. "It's nothing. Really." She daren't look at Brittany because she didn't want to see the confusion and hurt that she was sure was now spreading across her face. She just needed Rachel to go. She needed to convince her this wasn't what it looked like. She needed more time. "It's nothing."

"Oh, I uh… No I didn't think… It's fine, really. I'll leave you two to…" Rachel's cheeks were blushing and she was looking anywhere but at Santana. "I have to go, uh… read over some songs, for my… singing." She hurried through the living room, one arm still awkwardly in her jacket, and disappeared into her bedroom. The door shut and the room fell silent again. Santana didn't look at Brittany, she couldn't. She had no idea what to say.

"I'm gonna go." _What?_ Santana finally whipped her head around and looked at Brittany. Her heart sank. Like, she never really understood what that expression meant until right this second. Brittany looked so sad and hurt, but most of all, disappointed. Like she'd expected better from her, or _hoped_ for better from her. She stood up and grabbed her purse, before glancing quickly at Santana. Their eyes locked for a second and Santana felt like she'd been punched in the stomach when she saw the glossiness of Brittany's eyes and the single, tiny tear that ran down her cheek before she lifted her hand and hurriedly wiped it away.

"Britt, don't-" Santana took a step towards her but Brittany looked away.

"No, Santana. It's fine… It's nothing." Santana winced at the way Brittany echoed her words from just a few minutes ago. Before Santana could find the right words to reply, Brittany had turned and made her way over to the front door before letting herself out and closing it behind her.

_Fuck._

**…**

Santana wasn't sure how long it had been since Brittany had left, probably only a few minutes, but she was sure they were the worst of her life. She had stood, frozen for a few moments until she suddenly felt kind of weak and had to sit down. She fell onto the sofa and stared blankly at the black television screen. A wave of guilt and frustration flooded over her body, before being replaced with a rush of sadness. She felt her chest tighten and a lump form in her throat, and before she knew it tears were building up behind her eyes. She tried to blink them away because she didn't want to cry right now. She _never _cried, except occasionally when drunk, but she really needed to think straight right now. Santana tried to gulp down a sob but it escaped anyway. She felt her shoulders buckle and her head fell into her hands and she just cried. _Why was she so bad at this? Why did she ruin everything that was ever good in her life? _She tried to force back the sobs but they just came faster. Her shoulders were shaking and her hands holding her face were now wet with tears. _How could Brittany be so brave and she be so fucking weak? Brittany didn't need her, she didn't need her hurting her like she knew she would. Quinn had been right the whole time; she wasn't good enough for Brittany. _This thought made her tears fall harder, because the worst part was that she wanted to be good enough for her, more than anything else in this world. She had to go after her, to speak to her and make this all go away.

Santana went to stand but her body felt useless right now and she couldn't move. She just sat there and let the crying take over. She hated crying usually, it just seemed so over-dramatic and pathetic, but right now it was kind of helping. At least a little. Suddenly her body tensed and she shot her head up out of her hands as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Rachel had sat down on the sofa next to her and was looking at her with shock, or confusion maybe.

"Santana." She said softly and began rubbing her back soothingly. "Are you- I don't think I've ever seen you cry." She was looking at her with such concern and with so much sympathy that Santana started sobbing all over again. Rachel wrapped her arm around her shoulder and Santana let herself crumple into her friend. "Shh. It's okay." Santana just sat there, Rachel's arms wrapped around her and her face buried in her shoulder, crying, for god knows how long. Eventually her sobs slowed and her breathing began to return to normal. She felt kind of light-headed and empty from all the crying, but definitely a little better for it. She pulled herself away and sat up, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Thanks." Santana sniffled. Rachel nodded and smiled weakly.

"Is everything- What's going on? If you're crying like this it must be important." Rachel was searching her eyes, presumably for answers, but Santana didn't know what to say. _What the fuck was there to say? How could she explain any of this?_ Seeing that she wasn't going to get an answer, Rachel continued. "Is this about what I… saw earlier?" Santana wiped away another tear that was falling from her face and nodded slowly. "Okay." Rachel nodded reassuringly. "Did Brittany get upset and leave? Is that why you're crying?" She was being very careful about what she said and so patient. Okay, she annoyed the hell out of her most of the time, but Rachel really was a good friend. Santana nodded again and took a deep breath before she spoke.

"I just… I don't know what to do." Her voice was a little shaky but she continued because there was no real way of hiding this now and she had to get it out. "I can't believe I told her it was _nothing_." With that her voice broke completely and another sob broke its way out. Rachel returned her hand to her shoulder.

"But it's not nothing?" It was half a statement and half a question, and Santana felt her chest tighten again because she was actually talking about this. With someone else. _Deep breath._ She shook her head _no _and looked up at Rachel who was smiling. _Wait, what? Why was she smiling? Shouldn't she look shocked or disgusted or something right now?_ Rachel obviously sensed her confusion because she chuckled softly and continued. "That's why you've been in such a good mood the past few weeks." Santana managed to laugh a little and wiped her eyes again before rolling them at Rachel.

"You don't think it's horrible? Or gross or something?" Santana asked tentatively. Rachel frowned and shook her head.

"Of course not, Santana. I actually think it's kind of great." _Huh?_ Santana eyed her with confusion."I mean, obviously I was a little shocked to walk in and see… _that_, but like I said before, I think it's great that you've found someone you can be so close to and who you can really be yourself around, you know?" Santana nodded and smiled gratefully. _That wasn't so bad. _This conversation was going way better than expected. "Besides, I have two gay dads." She joked and Santana managed a giggle before her eyes widened again when she realised what that implied.

"Hold up. I don't know if I'm… I mean, I can't..." Her heart was now beating a little fast so she took a deep breath. Okay, what was it that was she trying to say? When she'd thought about this question before, she'd always just pushed it to the back of her mind and tried her hardest not to think about it. If she was getting with a random girl, she would pretend like it didn't have to mean _that_. It couldn't mean that. And even the past few weeks with all these feelings for Brittany, she had avoided this one specific question. But Santana realised she couldn't avoid it anymore. She had never felt this way about a guy before, ever, or anyone for that matter. And she couldn't imagine herself feeling like this about anyone else, so yeah, I guess she did kind of know. _Fuck, was she really going to say this? _"Yeah." She gulped. Rachel kept looking at her, searching her features.

"You're…?"

"Yeah. I mean, I think so, yes… I'm... yeah." She sighed. She felt worried and terrified that she'd just admitted that out loud, but also relieved. Like a weight that she'd been carrying around since god knows when had finally been lifted off her. "I… like girls. Actually, no. I like _Brittany._ She's special, Rachel._"_ Rachel nodded and smiled again.

"Yeah, she is." At this, Santana felt the tears beginning to build up again.

"But I'm no good for her. She doesn't… I'm not good enough." She gulped back a sob and took in a deep, shaky breath. Rachel's brow furrowed.

"What? Why would you think that, Santana?" The Latina sighed and shook her head.

"Quinn said it." Rachel's frown grew. "And she was right. Brittany's so sweet and perfect and everything that's right with this miserable, stinking world. And I'm… not." She heard her voice crack a little but was determined not to cry again. "I'm just going to hurt her like I hurt everyone." Even saying those words were painful, but she knew they were true. Everything in her life turned to shit; she pushed everyone she cared about away, and why was this going to be any different?

"No." Santana looked up in surprise because Rachel's voice was so firm. "Don't believe that, Santana. You can't- Quinn's just being… Quinn. You know how she is. She thinks she knows best and she means well, she's just being overprotective. Of Brittany _and _you. She's just… Don't believe that." She said again and Santana sighed once more. Rachel folded one leg underneath her on the sofa so she could face Santana properly. "You are one of, if not _the _strongest person I know. And Brittany sees that. And the way you two are around each other… It's like, you're at your best when you're with her. But not only that, I think she's her best when she's with you, Santana. You need to believe in that." Santana smiled a little. _Was that true? _She did feel like a better person around Brittany. At least she felt like she _wanted _to be a better person. _But could she be?_ She wanted to, so badly.

"I want to… I just don't know if I can." She probably wasn't making sense but she was so confused and just _tired._

"Santana. I've never seen you as happy as you are when you're around Brittany. And I see how happy she is when she's with you too. You may not think you're good enough, but she does. Doesn't she deserve to make up her own mind about this?" _Was she right? _Santana suddenly felt an embarrassingly overwhelming surge of affection for her roommate. Rachel was so good at this kind of thing.

"Thank you." Santana sniffled and managed a small smile. She took a deep breath and pulled a surprised Rachel in for a tight hug.

"We're kinda friends, huh?" Rachel said with smile as they broke apart. Santana rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her grin.

"Kinda." Santana rolled her eyes playfully. "But if anyone asks, I will absolutely deny it." She added with a mock glare and Rachel chuckled.

"Fair enough. Now, what are we going to do about you and Brittany?" Santana's smile faded.

"I don't know… I think I may have really fucked things up." _Would Brittany forgive her? _This was the second time Santana had told her that what they had didn't mean anything, of course the first time was a while ago and so much had happened since then, but still. She didn't mean it. It _wasn't _nothing, it wasn't anywhere close to nothing. But could she fix it?

"No. We need to stay positive!" Rachel chimed and jumped up from her seat. "I know something you can do which may help!" Santana laughed and rolled her eyes at her friend's enthusiasm. She was feeling loads better and was glad the mood had lightened a little.

"If you want me to write this all down in a journal or in some tragic Facebook status like you love to do so much, then you can forget it, Berry. I almost want to change my profile name to _Nobody_, just so when I like another one of your annoyingly emotional statuses, it will say _Nobody likes this._" Santana smirked and Rachel seemed to get the joke, chuckling and shaking her head.

"No, no. Nothing like that. Although I don't see what's wrong with my statuses… It helps me get things off my chest and I like to let my friends know what's going on and- anyway, this is beside the point. I have an idea."

**…**

Santana leant against the passenger door of her car and looked up at the apartment building in front of her. She'd been waiting for about 10 minutes and her mind was going crazy with too many thoughts. _Was she going to show up? What was she going to say? Would she even speak to her? _She fiddled nervously with her car keys and looked at the ground. Taking a few long, deep breaths, she tried to compose herself. She needed to do this right. This had to be perfect.

Her heart jolted when she heard the door open and close. Santana looked up to see Brittany walk a few steps and then stop. The blonde looked at her with a confused expression on her face. Santana took a step forward.

"Hey." It was all Santana could think to say right now. She smiled but Brittany didn't smile back, just furrowed her brow and crossed her arms.

"I thought I was meeting Rachel." She was glancing around as if to make sure Rachel definitely wasn't there.

"Yeah… We kind of tricked you. Sorry." Santana searched Brittany's features, thinking maybe she spotted the tiniest hint of a smile. "I just… I didn't think you'd come otherwise and I had to see you. I needed to- Britt, I'm so sorry." She took another small step towards Brittany.

"Santana. You know I always want to see you, but… What you said…" She still wasn't smiling, but her voice was soft. She opened her mouth to speak again, but nothing came out, so Santana took one more step up onto the pavement.

"I know, Britt." She did know. She could imagine exactly how Brittany must be feeling right now, and that's why it was so important that she got this right. "Will you come for a ride with me?" Santana's voice was quiet and she searched Brittany's face again. Brittany glanced at her car and then back to Santana. She bit her lip, obviously weighing up the options. "_Please."_ It wasn't desperate, just… hopeful. She needed Brittany to come with her. She needed to show her something and to tell her so much more. She let out a small sigh of relief when Brittany's face softened ever so slightly and she unfolded her arms. That was enough. Santana turned and opened the passenger door, waiting patiently as Brittany walked tentatively over to the car and got in. _Phew._ She rounded the car and got into the driver's seat, before taking a quick glance at Brittany and turning on the ignition. As they pulled out, Brittany didn't look at her, instead just staring out the window.

"Where are we going?" She finally asked in a tiny voice which made Santana's stomach clench. She sounded so small and sad and she never wanted her to sound like that again.

"I need to show you something. And… explain things." Brittany still wasn't looking at her, but she figured she needed a little more time and she just hoped once they got there she could get everything out and make everything okay. "It's about a half an hour drive. But it'll be worth it, I promise." She hoped more than anything that this was true. Brittany simply nodded and they both stayed quiet for the rest of the journey. That was okay. Santana wanted to give her some space and let her think. She also needed time to think herself, to plan what she was going to say because she needed to say everything right.

**…**

A while later, after the city had disappeared behind them, from large buildings and busy streets, into housing estates and slightly quieter ones, and eventually into trees and countryside, Santana pulled over onto a little dirt track. She stopped the engine and got out of the car, turning to Brittany and offering her most reassuring smile to let her know that she could do the same. She then pulled out a basket from the back seat before leading Brittany over some grass and through a few scattered trees. Santana smiled and felt herself relax as they emerged into a clearing and saw the vast lake expanding in front of them. It was beautiful. She stole a glance at Brittany, who was clearly thinking the same thing because her eyes were wide and a small smile was stretching at her lips. _Thank god. _She'd missed that smile.

"I haven't been here in ages." Santana mused as she led Brittany over to the bank and set the wicker basket down on the cool grass. Brittany stood silently and watched Santana as she opened the basket and pulled out a blue picnic blanket, laying it out on the ground beneath them. Santana sat down and motioned for Brittany to do the same, which she did cautiously. They sat there for a few moments in silence, looking out at the beautiful lake and taking it all in. It may have been October, but it was still just about warm enough and the late afternoon sun was bouncing off the water in an almost magical way. "I come here to think sometimes." She began slowly, not really knowing where else to start. "It reminds me of the one back in Lima." She glanced over at Brittany, who was now looking at her, her blue eyes searching her own. "Do you remember?" Brittany nodded and a tiny smile tugged at her lips. Santana turned back to the water and took a deep breath. "We spent so much time there, me and you. Almost every day during the summers, just sitting and talking about everything and nothing." _God, she hadn't talked about this in so long. _It seemed like a whole other life ago. But then somehow at the same time, sitting right here on this picnic blanket across from her best friend, it felt like they were back in Lima and no time had passed. She felt her heart swell with emotion and gulped hard because she was not going to cry again. She needed to get this out. "I love it here. It reminds me of everything back then, and everything that I…" _Everything that she had? Or lost? Or might never get back? _She trailed off with a sigh. Brittany seemed to sense her difficulty because now it was her who spoke.

"I remember it so well." Santana turned to look at her and felt herself smile. "I remember our fancy picnics that we made, and going swimming even when the water was freezing, and I remember how I'd always force you to sing to me." This time Brittany smiled and Santana's insides warmed at the memory. Even when Brittany was feeling so sad, she could say exactly the right thing.

"Do you remember the day you told me you were leaving?" Brittany's smile faded a little and her eyes softened as she nodded slowly. Santana took another deep breath because this was the hard part. "I remember you looking at me… and saying you were moving away. And I remember how my whole world fell apart right then. Even though we were so young, I was losing my best friend… but it was so much more than that, you know?" Brittany nodded because she did know. Santana knew she did. She was the only other person that had ever really understood how that felt. Santana looked back over the lake and fought down the lump in her throat before continuing. "Everything just turned to shit after that. My dad left a couple of weeks later…" Brittany reached across the blanket and took Santana's hand gently in her own. _How was she being so sweet when Santana was the one who had ruined everything?_

"Was that why you stopped calling?" Brittany asked in a quiet voice. Santana felt a stab of guilt as she nodded. They had spoken on the phone almost every night for weeks after Brittany had moved to New York, but then Santana had just stopped. She couldn't face it anymore. "I'm sorry. If I'd known…"

"No, Britt. It's not your fault." Santana said firmly and turned to face the blonde because she needed her to know that it wasn't. None of this was. "_I'm _sorry. I just… it was too hard. Speaking to you just reminded me of how great my life _was, _and how much I'd lost.I was just so angry, and sad and… bitter about everything – life, the world, I don't know. It just all seemed so unfair. So I just closed myself off from everyone. Even Quinn. It was just… easier." She could feel her eyes glossing over and felt a silent tear falling over her cheek. Brittany just squeezed her hand tighter and stayed quiet, giving her the time she needed to continue. "…And I guess that's why I freaked out so much earlier… with Rachel." She winced at the memory. "I just- I was so scared, Britt." Brittany scooted herself closer to Santana on the blanket and took both her hands in her own. Santana felt her whole body melt as Brittany looked at her with such concern and affection.

"I know, Santana. It's okay." But Santana shook her head and wiped another tiny tear that had escaped from the corner of her eye.

"No, it's not okay. I don't _want _to be scared anymore. I want…" _What did she want?_

"I'm scared too." Santana brought her gaze up to meet Brittany's because she hadn't expected her to say that. She always seemed so calm and cool about everything. For some reason it kind of helped to know she wasn't the only one that felt like this.

"Yeah?" Brittany nodded and smiled sweetly, still squeezing her hands tightly around Santana's.

"But you know what? I think that's okay… Because, it's _us._" At that Santana's heart felt like it might pop – in a good way – and another tear fell down her cheek, but this time a happy one, because she didn't think Brittany could have said something more perfect just then. It was exactly what she needed to hear and exactly how she had been feeling, and she didn't even know it. She knew now, she knew what she wanted.

"Britt, I… I want _you."_ Brittany's face broke into a smile. One of those smiles which just lit up the whole of someone's face and Santana couldn't help but grin back because this was all so perfect.

"Santana, you have me. I think you kind of always did." Santana smiled wide again and felt her entire body warm. She hadn't realised how much she wanted to hear those words, how much she needed to, but they were perfect. Brittany released one of her hands from Santana's and lifted it to wipe a few tears from the Latina's cheek. She then pulled her in gently and pressed their lips together. Santana smiled into the kiss and brought her hand up to rest on Brittany's neck. Her whole body melted as their lips moved together in the softest and sweetest kiss Santana had ever experienced. She wasn't sure how long they kissed for, but Santana was sure she could have stayed there forever. It wasn't rushed or heated, it was filled with so much emotion and so many words, and so much _love._ Santana hummed contentedly as Brittany took her bottom lip in her own and sucked gently, before pulling away slowly. Although she didn't want that perfect kiss to end, as she opened her eyes she was met with the most beautiful sight in the world. Brittany was smiling from ear to ear, her eyes were glinting the deepest blue and were staring back at her with such affection.

"Hi." Brittany whispered and stroked Santana's cheek with the back of her hand. Santana almost couldn't answer. She felt so entirely lost under Brittany's gaze and in the magic of this moment.

"Hey." She managed to breath out, taking Brittany's hand from her cheek and pressing her lips to her palm. Brittany smiled wider and rearranged herself so that she was sitting up cross-legged, facing Santana.

"What's in the basket?" Santana pulled herself out of her haze and followed Brittany's eyes over to the wicker picnic basket that was sitting next to her on the blanket. _Oh right._ She mirrored Brittany's cross-legged position and made sure she was comfortable before dragging the basket over to them.

"Well," She began, feeling a little blush creep over her cheeks. "I wanted this to be perfect and super romantic… so I brought us a picnic." Santana would have felt embarrassed at the cheesiness of all this, but the look on Brittany's face made her not give a fuck. "A proper one, like we used to have." Brittany was now grinning and clapping her hands in excitement. Santana felt a little smug as she opened the lid and brought out various plastic pots filled with delicious things. Rachel had been great in helping her prepare it all. Santana chuckled as Brittany's eyes widened in amazement. "It's got all the stuff we used to put in ours." She continued as she began opening the different containers. "Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Doritos, Oreos. I even got some breadsticks - they're no _Breadstix _breadsticks, but they'll do." Brittany giggled as Santana handed her a breadstick. "And, since this is a grown up picnic, I brought champagne as well." Santana winked and Brittany giggled again. After she'd set down the last of the food, Brittany reached out for her hand again and took it in both her own.

"This is so sweet, Santana. Seriously. No one's ever done anything like this for me before." Santana's heart swelled and she could feel the enormous smile spreading across her face. She was so glad she'd done something right. Even if it meant she would have to be kind of nice to Rachel from now on. For a little while anyway. Brittany leaned in and kissed her once more. It was only short, but it still sent tingles all over Santana's body. They broke apart and grinned at each other. "Let's eat, this looks freaking insane."

**…**

They were officially full. Santana wasn't sure quite why she'd brought so much food, but they'd managed to stuff it all down. They'd also popped open the champagne – Santana had only had a small glass since she was driving – and now they were lying, watching the sun which was just setting. It really was beautiful here. Brittany's hand was stroking soft lines up and down Santana's arm, right from her wrist all the way up to her shoulder and back down.

"I love it when you do that." Santana spoke into the peaceful silence. "You used to do it when we were kids. I always loved it." She turned her head to see Brittany lying on her side, beaming up at her. "I didn't even realise how much I missed it until now. Is that possible? To miss something without realising?" Santana turned on her side too, and took Brittany's other hand and began fiddling with her fingers.

"I think it is." Brittany replied softly. "Like, with you. I knew that I missed you all this time, but I never really realised just how much until I saw you again, you know? And then it was like, how did I ever survive without this?" Santana smiled and nodded. Brittany continued to trace her finger up and down the bare skin of her arm and Santana sighed happily.

"Britt, can I ask you something?" The thought suddenly slipped into Santana's mind and she didn't really mean to say anything, but everything just felt so calm and safe right now. She felt like she could talk about anything she wanted, and everything would be okay. Brittany smiled and nodded, lifting her gaze from her hand's movements up to meet Santana's. "How come you left Julliard?" Brittany's brow furrowed slightly, not in a bad way, just like she was thinking maybe. "I mean, you don't have to answer. But you never bring it up and I was just wondering if something happened? It's probably nothing… I just… I want to know everything about you and it might help for you to talk about it, so… I'll listen if you want me too." Santana knew she was rambling a bit, but she didn't want Brittany to feel uncomfortable. She wanted her to know she could tell her anything. Brittany looked away for a second, but didn't stop stroking up and down Santana's arm. She took a deep breath and then returned her eyes to look at Santana.

"I guess I just never really talk about it because I don't like thinking about it. I mean, it's not that big of a deal… I was super excited when I got the scholarship, but when I got there… I don't know, it just wasn't how I'd imagined. My classmates weren't like how I thought they were going to be. Actually, they were kind of mean." Brittany's nose scrunched up and Santana felt her heart break a little bit because _how the hell could anyone be mean to Brittany?_ "They would say I was stupid and make fun of me when I zoned out in class, which I guess I do kind of a lot. But anyway, there were a few girls who were especially mean and some stuff happened and so I just moved." She shrugged her shoulders and forced a little smile as if to say it was nothing.

"Britt." Santana said softly and brushed the back of her hand over her cheek. She hated the idea of people making Brittany feeling like that.

"It's okay though, because I love NYADA. My classes are great and everyone's super nice. So it's cool." She shrugged again. Santana scooted a little closer and lifted Brittany's face slightly so that she was looking at her again.

"Britt." She said again. She felt a sudden wave of protectiveness. "Don't ever let anyone tell you you're stupid okay? Because you're not. Don't ever let anyone make you feel like that. And if they do, you tell me. Got it?" Brittany nodded and Santana leaned in and closed the small distance between them with a light kiss. She heard Brittany exhale and felt her body relax.

"Thanks, Santana. You always knew how to make me all better." Santana smiled and though she didn't really know what she'd done, she loved the thought that she was able to do this for her. They settled back into a comfortable silence and Santana sighed as Brittany began stroking a finger softly over her face, as if studying and memorising her features. She giggled as Brittany's finger bopped her on the nose and then inhaled sharply as it ghosted her lips with the lightest of touches. "Can I ask _you_ something now?" Brittany asked in a quiet voice, her eyes glued to Santana's lips. She nodded. "Did you mean what you said before?" _What had she said before? _So many things had been said today. She could be talking about any one of them. Santana kissed the finger that was still resting on her lips and watched Brittany smile.

"About what?" Santana asked softly as she took Brittany's hand that was held up to her face and interlinked their fingers together.

"About being… _ready_." Santana's breath caught somewhere at the back of her throat and her heart began to beat really fast. She'd almost forgotten about that, what with all the drama of what happened immediately afterwards. It scared her, of course it did, because this was _Brittany, _and this was special. But she was ready, she knew she was. She wanted it so badly, but more importantly she wanted _her _so badly. Santana gazed the blonde for a second and caught her breath again. She couldn't help but think just how incredible she was right now, the orange light from the quickly disappearing sun glowing on her face and the cool autumn breeze flowing ever so gently through her wavy hair. Santana squeezed the hand she had interlinked with her own, looked deep into those blue eyes and smiled.

"I really meant it." She said softly and her heart fluttered a little as Brittany's lips curved into a gorgeous smile. "I want you, Britt. I want all of you." Santana pressed her lips softly against Brittany's once more before pulling away and watching Brittany's lips curve up into a large grin.

"Take me home, baby."

**…**


	14. Chapter 14

Prepare yourselves...

And keep the reviews coming please!

Chapter 14:

"So… was this a date?" Brittany asked in an adorably shy voice as the two girls made their way into Santana's apartment. Santana turned and smiled at the blonde who was blushing slightly and looking nervously at the floor.

"Of course it was, Britt-Britt." She grinned harder as she watched Brittany's lips curve into a smile. "I brought a freaking picnic didn't I?" Brittany let out a cute little giggle as she followed Santana over to the kitchen area. Santana was beginning to wonder where the others were and why the house was so quiet when she noticed a pink post-it note on the island as she set her keys down.

_Kurt and I are staying the night at Tina's. I thought you'd appreciate some peace and quiet. Hope everything worked out okay. See you tomorrow. Rachel J x_

Okay, she definitely owed Berry now. She peeled off the note, rolling her eyes and chuckling at the gold star stuck on in the corner, and showed it to Brittany. Her brow furrowed adorably as she read the swirly handwriting and then her face softened into an enormous smile.

"So we're all by ourselves?" Brittany asked through her grin and Santana nodded, taking her hand and leading her over to the sofa.

"Sure are." She was smiling too, she couldn't help it. It was just something about today. It had been exhausting sure, what with starting out so wonderfully with Brittany in her bed and then making out on the couch, and then the whole drama with Rachel had been awful and terrifying, but then it had ended so perfectly with their trip to the lake. She'd opened up to her so much, more than she had done with anyone else, even herself. She'd said all the things she'd wanted to say, and then she'd said that she wanted Brittany. And Brittany said that she had her. That thought made Santana's insides warm and tingle. They sat down and faced each other on the couch and Brittany interlaced their fingers together.

"So… Rachel knows?" Brittany asked tentatively and Santana glanced up from their joined hands to look into blue eyes searching her own.

"Yeah. She, uh… she knows." Santana said after a deep breath before smiling as Brittany began stroking her thumbs gently over the back of her hands.

"Is that okay?" Her voice was soft and caring and Santana smiled wider because she actually felt like it kind of was okay. She nodded.

"I think so, yeah. I mean, I don't know if I'm ready for _everyone _to find out about… us, just yet. But, I think it's okay that someone knows… I'm okay. I just… I want a little more time for us to figure this all out and to know what this means and..." Santana was rambling and her heart was beating a little faster because this was still all so new to her and it scared her a little. The thought of Quinn finding out especially scared her, but she wasn't really sure why. Brittany smiled sweetly so she continued. "But I want to, Britt. We will tell them, just… when we're ready. Is that okay?" Brittany's smile curved even further and she pulled one of Santana's hands up to press it against her lips before giggling. "What?" She asked through a smile as she eyed the blonde.

"Nothing, it's just… You said _us."_ Santana's heart melted - _how cute was she right now?_ She grinned because she realised she hadn't even thought about the fact that she'd used that word. It just felt so right. She rolled her eyes and Brittany smiled more before squeezing her hand comfortingly. "I know the thought of other people knowing is hard and confusing, but I don't want things between _us _to be confusing, Santana. That should never be confusing." Santana felt herself relax and this time she pressed a kiss to Brittany's hand because her words helped so much. "I'll text Quinn and tell her I'm staying at Sam's." Brittany removed one of her hands from Santana's, pulled her phone out of her pocket and began tapping away at the screen. Santana's body tensed at the mention of Sam's name. She'd almost forgotten about that; it seemed so long ago now and so much had happened since then that she'd hardly thought about it. She remembered the insane surge of jealousy that had flooded through her when she'd seen them together at Lola's and how she'd just felt so… angry. Santana took a deep breath and tried to cool the same heat that was now trying to fight its way through her body. _Brittany had said she wanted her. She said she was hers, not Sam's._ Her curiosity got the better of her though as she felt words falling out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"I don't like Sam." She blurted. Brittany stilled her fingers tapping at her phone and looked up at her, cocking her head and searching her features. "I just… I don't like the way he looks at you." _Should she be saying this?_ She wasn't sure if she should but she wanted to know, she wanted to say something.

"Santana." Brittany said softly, her brows furrowing a little. "Sam's just a friend." She went back to stroking her fingers slowly over Santana's knuckles.

"Have you guys ever…?" Brittany scrunched her nose and shook her head before chuckling softly.

"Ew, no. I would never… we're just friends." Santana felt herself relax a little more and glanced down at their interlinked hands. It was nice to hear that Brittany would never like Sam like that, but she was still sure he had different ideas. He was a guy, and Brittany was hot. And awesome. And the sweetest person ever.

"I think he likes you." She said in a tiny voice that she barely recognised as her own and rolled her eyes at her own shyness. "I just don't want him… I… I don't like the way he looks at you." She repeated because that's all she could really think to say. Brittany smiled a little and shrugged.

"Maybe he does, but I don't care. He's my friend and that's all he'll ever be, I promise. Besides… I'm not into blondes." She winked and Santana managed a giggle. "And anyway, I'm kinda crushing way too hard on someone else right now, so…" Santana felt her body tingle again as she watched a tiny blush appear on Brittany's cheeks. _So goddam cute._

"Yeah?" She asked through an embarrassingly large grin. Brittany nodded and matched her grin.

"And the jealous thing is totally hot on you by the way." She winked and Santana rolled her eyes playfully. "So, what did you say to Rachel?" She locked her eyes on Santana's again and Santana felt her cheeks heat up this time.

"I said…" She began slowly, trying to hide the smile forming at her lips and glanced down nervously to play with Brittany's fingers. "That I like you… And that you're special." She glanced up again to see Brittany beaming widely and continued. "And that what we had wasn't nothing. It could never be nothing, Britt." Santana felt one of Brittany's hands leave her own as it lifted to cup her cheek.

"I kind of feel like it's _everything_." Brittany replied softly, her eyes glued to Santana's as she traced her fingers over her warm cheek. With that Santana felt her heart swell and smiled brightly before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to Brittany's lips. She felt Brittany smile against her and pressed harder into the kiss. After everything that had been said today, after all that had happened, this kiss felt a thousand times more incredible. Not that the others hadn't been, because _all _of Brittany's kisses were fucking incredible, but this, right here in this moment, just seemed kind of perfect, and it made her never want it to stop. Brittany seemed to be thinking the same thing because the next thing she knew, Brittany was pushing her tongue into her mouth and Santana couldn't help but let out a little moan. So much tension and anticipation was building up inside of her because earlier she had told her that she was _ready_. Now Brittany knew she wanted this, and Santana was pretty sure it would have happened earlier if Rachel hadn't interrupted them. But now they were alone in the apartment all night, and Santana _knew _it was going to happen. That thought sent a wave of heat down her body and she sucked down hard on Brittany's bottom lip as the heat began to gather between her legs. Brittany let out a quiet whimper which only made the heat more intense so Santana lifted her hand to grip Brittany's neck, pulling her closer and deeper into the kiss.

She couldn't get enough. The kiss had turned from slow and deep to aggressive and heated without her even realising, and Santana's whole body was now tingling with pleasure. The throbbing between her legs became almost unbearable as Brittany pushed her hard down against the sofa, removed her lips from Santana's and began attacking her throat. Santana moaned and tilted her head back against the sofa cushion as Brittany pressed open mouthed kisses along her neck, licking and nibbling a line up towards her jaw, before sucking down hard on her pulse point. _Holy shit. _

_"_Shit_. Fuck _Britt_-"_ Santana gasped but Brittany swallowed the sound with her lips, sucking and nipping before pushing her tongue back in to find Santana's. This time Brittany moaned into her mouth as their tongues brushed against each other and _fuck, Brittany sounded so incredibly turned on right now._ Santana was seriously turned on too – possibly the most she'd ever been - and gasped as she felt Brittany suck gently on her tongue. How was it that they could go from having the world's sweetest conversation, to the hottest make-out session ever, in like two minutes? It had to be Brittany. She just had this amazing ability to be completely adorable _and_ sexy all at the same time. She made a note to ask her later how she managed it.

"I… want you…Santana." Brittany gasped out as she broke away. Santana looked up at the blonde leaning over her and had to bite her lip. _Wow._ She had been right when she'd guessed she was turned on. Brittany's hooded eyes were dark with lust, her lips were red and swollen from kissing and her chest was heaving fast.

"I want you too, Britt… so much." Santana managed to get out in between her staggered breaths. Brittany smiled, or smirked, and placed another kiss on Santana's lips before pulling away again. She giggled at Santana's disappointed pout and sat up, legs either side of Santana's waist, still straddling her.

"Not here though. Let's go to your room. We… want it to be special." She smiled. "And besides, Rachel uses this couch so that would be super creepy." She scrunched up her nose. Santana laughed and nodded. Brittany stood up and reached her hand out for Santana, who followed slowly, her legs a little wobbly. Santana couldn't stop grinning as Brittany dragged her out of the living room and into her bedroom, closing the door behind them. _She couldn't believe this was about to happen. She wanted this so badly._

Santana had barely turned around when Brittany pushed her back up against the door and reconnected their lips. Santana moaned again because even in the last thirty seconds since they'd been in the living room she'd missed her lips. _Was that weird? _She didn't care though because Brittany was now pushing her body right up against hers and sliding her hands through her dark hair. Santana grabbed the back of Brittany's neck and pulled her even closer, before shoving her tongue into her mouth once more. The arousal was now burning inside of her and tugging at her stomach and Brittany's whimper was enough to make her realise just how much she wanted this, how much she needed this, right now.

"Britt. Bed. Now." She gasped in between kisses and she felt Brittany smile against her lips. The blonde dropped her hands from where they were tangling in Santana's hair down her back and grabbed her ass. Another wave of intense heat rushed over Santana. Brittany's hands slid lower before gripping onto her thighs and lifting her up as if she weighed nothing. _Still so hot. _Santana wrapped her legs tight around Brittany's waist and began peppering kisses all over her neck as she was carried over towards her bed. Brittany placed Santana down gently on the bed before standing up and taking a step backwards, all the while keeping her eyes glued to the Latina. Her heart still hammering in her chest and her breathing heavy, Santana leaned up to rest on her elbows. She was about to complain about the sudden lack of contact but caught her breath when she saw the smirk tugging at the blonde's lips.

"Take your shirt off." Brittany said, her lips curving further upwards. Her voice wasn't forceful, it was soft and caring, but Santana loved it when Brittany took control like this. Usually when she hooked up with someone, she liked to be the one in control. It felt _safer _somehow to be the one taking charge of the situation and giving the orders, then she could do what she came for and get the hell out of there. If she was being honest, it was never really about the other person. But this wasn't just a _hook-up_. This was different. Brittany was different. This was about her and about _them._ Santana grinned and lifted her shirt over her head before tossing it somewhere onto the floor. Her heart began to race again though when she watched Brittany's eyes rake over her exposed torso, lingering on her black bra, before lifting to find her own again. Heat rushed over her once again as she saw the blonde's hands move slowly and grip the bottom of her own shirt. The only thing Santana could hear was the heavy pulse in her chest and all she could concentrate on was how it was now pounding between her legs too. As Brittany inched the fabric of her t-shirt tantalisingly slowly up her body, Santana's stomach knotted and she thought back to their game of strip poker; how she hadn't been able to take her eyes off Brittany as she'd done exactly what she was doing now. Only this time they were alone. She could stare as much as she wanted and _touch _as much as she wanted and _holy shit-_

Santana's whole body tightened as Brittany eventually pulled her shirt all the way off and dropped it on the floor, revealing a red bra covering perfect breasts. _Brittany's _breasts. Santana thought she was going to explode when she saw Brittany's fingers tease their way down her now exposed torso and begin undoing the button of her jeans. _Oh my god._ Santana sat up further and kept her gaze fixed on Brittany as she slowly pushed down her jeans and stepped out of them. _Wow._ Santana had seen her in just her underwear before but this was so different. She knew what was going to happen and that thought just made her heart thump even louder and her stomach knot and twist.

Brittany grinned before stepping slowly towards her, her eyes still not leaving Santana. The blonde climbed onto the bed and, on all fours, made her way slowly up to where a wide-eyed and breathless Santana was lying. She hovered over the Latina, her knees either side of Santana's waist and her hands resting either side of her head, and stared down at her. Santana felt her entire body shiver as Brittany placed a hand flat on her bare stomach. The throbbing between her legs only increased and her breath hitched as Brittany moved her hand slowly down so that it was now gripping the waistband of her jeans.

"I'm gonna take these off, okay?" Brittany breathed, her eyes searching Santana's own, and although her voice was low and raspy – _and seriously hot right now – _she still sounded so sweet and caring. Santana smiled and nodded, probably a little too eagerly but so what? Brittany undid the button and tugged down the zip in one swift motion and began pulling down her jeans. Santana lifted herself a little to help before kicking them off the rest of the way. She could hear her heart thumping even louder as she felt Brittany's gaze rake up her almost naked body. She hovered over Santana once again and blue eyes met brown. Santana couldn't think about anything else but the burning desire raging through her and how fucking beautiful Brittany looked right now. Brittany smiled and whispered a small _hey_ before leaning down, brushing their noses together and then reconnecting their lips. This time it didn't start off slow. Santana immediately parted her lips for Brittany's tongue to enter her mouth and she moaned with pleasure as it brushed against her own. It felt incredible. Like, this was the best feeling in the world right now and she didn't want to be anywhere else than right here, with an extremely hot and semi-naked Brittany on top of her. _Did she mention she was semi-naked?_

"Uh, _Britt_-" She gasped as Brittany moved her kisses from her lips over her cheek and down her throat. She gasped again as Brittany's mouth swallowed the skin just below her jaw and sucked hard. That was definitely going to leave a mark. She tried to ignore the stroke she was quite possibly having right now and let her hands trail up Brittany's sides. Santana felt the blonde quiver under her touch and the arousal between her legs only intensified. She was so turned on right now. The feeling of their almost naked bodies pressed together was intoxicating and judging by Brittany's heavy breathing and aggressive kisses to her throat, she was feeling just as turned on as Santana. They were only in their underwear but there was still way too much material in between them. Santana wanted so badly to have Brittany's _fully _naked body pressed against her, and to touch her in places that made her head spin and her arousal throb.

Brittany was obviously thinking the same thing as her lips moved down from Santana's neck, along her collarbone and sucked hard on the curve of Santana's breast just above the lace of her bra. The possibility of a stroke became even more likely as Brittany trailed her hands up Santana's bare stomach and placed them on her bra-covered boobs. She wasn't even moving them yet, just holding them still, but the anticipation was making the throbbing between her thighs almost unbearable.

"_Britt-"_ She breathed but it was more of a whimper and Brittany sat up, straddling Santana's waist, and looked deep into her eyes.

"Can I take this off?" She asked, her hands still resting on Santana's bra. Her voice was husky and so full of sex that all Santana could do was nod eagerly. Brittany giggled before sliding her hands around the Latina's back and unclasping her bra with ease. _Definitely not the first time she'd done that. _Santana's breathing was now so heavy and her head was spinning deliciously. She couldn't remember being this turned on ever. All she could think about as Brittany slowly pulled each bra strap down her shoulder was that soon her hands would be on her boobs. _Brittany's_ hands would be on _her _boobs. Her _boobs. Holy fuck._

Santana wasn't sure why she would feel self-conscious at being so exposed – she'd been naked in front of countless girls and guys – but any nervousness she might have felt was soon replaced with a smug smirk as Brittany tossed her bra onto the floor and gaped. Like, literally _gaped_ at her breasts. Her darkened blue eyes were wide with lust, her mouth was a little open and Santana could see the blonde's chest heaving up and down. Santana nearly let out a moan because she was pretty sure that was the hottest sight _ever_, but Brittany swallowed it with her lips once again.

"You're so… beautiful… Santana." She breathed in between hard kisses and her hands shot up to her breasts. _Holy shit-_

"Oh my god." Santana moaned against the kiss and her hips bucked up involuntarily. She was sure this was the best feeling she had ever experienced; Brittany's hands cupping her boobs and squeezing gently. She was soon corrected, however, when Brittany's thumbs moved to swipe over her rock hard nipples. _Jesus Christ _that felt amazing. Brittany groaned against Santana's lips which made her body rock upwards again because that was definitely the hottest sound anyone had ever made. "You're… _so_ good at that." Santana gasped as they broke for air. Brittany reconnected their lips and kissed Santana hard, while continuing to stroke and pinch her nipples. _Fucking hell._ Santana pushed back against the kiss and shoved her tongue back in, brushing it against the blonde's until she was whimpering into her mouth. Okay, actually _that _was the hottest sound ever. Brittany disconnected their lips and began a trail of soft kisses down her collarbone and Santana had to fight back another loud moan when she realised where she was heading. _Oh my fucking god. _Was it possible for her to pass out right now? A wave of heat flared through her body as Brittany's mouth reached her boob, continuing its trail of soft kisses over it, and her hips bucked again in pleasure as she felt her tongue poke out and flick gently across her hard nipple.

"Fuck, _Britt-"_ She groaned and moved her hand from the bare skin of Brittany's back to grip onto blonde hair. Brittany looked up at her and smirked, before wrapping her lips around her left nipple and sucking, all the while holding her gaze. _Holy shit this was so hot, and even hotter to actually watch it happening. _She knew this wouldn't be an image she'd be forgetting any time soon. As Brittany's tongue flicked over her rock hard nipple Santana let out another strangled gasp. She could tell she was already so wet, and that was just from Brittany touching her boobs. She shuddered with pleasure when she thought about how it would feel when Brittany touched her in other places. Santana's head fell back against the pillow and another moan left her lips as Brittany sucked again and released the nipple with a wet pop. Her mouth moved over to Santana's other breast and she had to pinch her thighs together in an attempt to force down the growing arousal. She was right, she was so wet. She could feel it. Brittany's tongue darted out again and Santana gripped the blonde's waist, digging her nails in slightly as her tongue traced soft circles around her nipple. Brittany swallowed it in a kiss before ever so lightly grazing it with her teeth, causing Santana's hips to jerk upwards once again. Just when she thought she might be close to orgasming right there and then – _was that even possible from someone just touching your boobs?_ - Brittany's lips returned to her own, pressing into her with another deep kiss. Her hands continued to massage her breasts, her fingers pinching and rubbing her nipples where her tongue had just been and whimpering into Santana's mouth. Santana was sure she couldn't take it anymore – heat was flaring over her body and arousal was tugging and pulling and building up so much in her stomach that she thought she might explode.

"Britt-" She said against the kiss and pulled back slightly, disconnecting their lips. Brittany leaned and rested her forehead on Santana's, panting. "I want you… I'm so wet for you, baby." Santana managed to get out in between staggered breaths. She could barely hear herself above her pounding heart. She wrapped her hand around Brittany's neck and pulled her in for a soft, sweet kiss. Brittany smiled and nodded against her lips, brushed her tongue gently over Santana's, before leaning back and sitting up between Santana's legs. Santana's entire body tightened as she looked up to see Brittany's eyes fixed on her underwear. She could almost feel her gaze burning through the black lace and watched as the blonde slowly lifted her hands and hooked her fingers under the waistband. _Holy fuck. _Brittany glanced up to look at her and Santana nodded in consent. She couldn't release her gaze from Brittany as she smiled, licked her lips and began slowly dragging her probably soaked underwear over her thighs, down her calves and eventually tossing them onto the floor. Santana's chest was pounding and she could feel her centre throbbing as Brittany's hooded eyes bore into it. Before she could think about how insanely hot it was watching Brittany's hungry stare on her like that, Brittany had crawled back on top of her and was attacking her lips again. She couldn't even begin to describe the sensation of being completely naked and having Brittany on top of her and kissing her. It was fucking amazing. She felt another wave of heat as Brittany's left hand returned to her boob, less gentle with its movements this time, and began grabbing and kneading wildly. She bucked up into her again and felt a jolt of pleasure as her exposed heat rocked into Brittany's hip. Santana moaned and she felt Brittany whimper into the kiss. Santana's stomach flipped as she felt Brittany's other hand slide down over her stomach, lower and lower and _fuck she was so close. _

Suddenly Santana broke away from Brittany's lips and shot her hand down to stop Brittany's that had been inching towards her centre. _Why had she just done that?_

"Santana?" Brittany found her gaze and studied her. Santana froze and pinched her eyes shut tight, her heart pounding as she desperately tried to calm her breathing. "Are you okay?" _Shit shit shit. _Why was she freezing up? She wanted this. This was all she wanted. _Brittany _was all she wanted. She was special, and this was going to be special. Then she realised that's why she was freaking out. It wasn't about the sex part, she was good at that; it was the rest of it. She hadn't ever had sex that actually meant something beyond her own satisfaction. This was so much more than that, and it terrified her.

"I-I'm fine." She stuttered, her voice shaking and her eyes still glued shut. Brittany removed her hand from Santana's tight grasp and lifted it to stroke over the Latina's hot cheek. Santana felt herself relax a little and opened her eyes to see Brittany staring down at her lovingly. It was such a caring and warm look and it made Santana feel tiny bit safer. "I just… I w-want this to be… I don't want to mess it up." She stammered, her chest still heaving and Brittany smiled sweetly.

"Not possible." Brittany replied and it made Santana match her smile. "I have never felt this way about anyone, Santana. I know this is right." She continued to stroke her hand softly over Santana's cheek. "It's _us._" Santana felt her body relax and nodded slowly. "But we can stop if you want?" _No._

"No!" She practically shouted and Brittany couldn't help but giggle. "No, Britt. I just… I've never been with someone… like _this_ before. It's usually just sex. And I don't want it to be _just _sex with you." Brittany nodded because she understood.

"It's not, I promise. This means so much, Santana." Santana felt herself relax into a smile. "And you look super hot by the way." Brittany added with a smirk and Santana felt her cheeks flush. Her breathing was a little more normal now, but her heart was still beating fast and the throbbing between her legs hadn't gone away. She placed her hand on Brittany's neck and connected their lips again. Brittany smiled against her and sighed into her mouth and Santana felt her body heat up once again. Brittany was right. This wasn't scary, it was _them._ Their tongues brushed together and Santana took Brittany's bottom lip in her own and sucked down, releasing a whimper from the blonde. Brittany's hand restarted its massaging of her boob and Santana felt the heat once again gathering between her legs. Brittany pinched her nipple, sending a shock of pleasure through her and forcing her hips up as before. _Holy shit._

After fumbling and finding Brittany's other hand, Santana began to guide in down towards her centre which she knew was already soaked and ready for her. She didn't think she'd ever been this ready for someone before. Her stomach muscles quivered as Brittany's fingers stroked over them and Santana shot her hand up to grip her hair again. The pounding between her legs was growing and growing as Brittany's touch inched lower towards it. Brittany paused her movements and pulled away from Santana's lips to look deep into her eyes. "Is this okay?" Her voice was breathy and low and she sounded so turned on that Santana's heat began to throb even more. She nodded violently and Brittany leaned forward to rest her forehead on Santana's like she had done before. Her left hand continued to pinch and stroke at her nipple, sending jolts of pleasure through her, and her other hand slid lower and lower until -

_Holy fuck._

Santana's breath caught in her throat as Brittany's hand cupped over her centre and pressed down gently. Santana found her lips again and kissed her hard, only to have to break away again to moan as Brittany's fingers finally parted her wet folds. Her eyes closed and her head fell back against the pillow and her entire body shuddered as Brittany slid her fingers through her wetness. Her hips bucked once again when Brittany's fingers slipped higher to find her sensitive part and pressed down harder.

"Fucking- oh my god, _Britt-"_ She groaned and gripped Brittany's neck hard. Probably a little too hard but she didn't care right now because the way Brittany was now tracing circles over _that spot _made her body tingle with pleasure and her hips roll up again. Brittany's other hand stayed massaging her breast and she moved her head to lick and suck at Santana's neck, while her fingers continued their magical movements inside of her. _Magical _was the only way to describe the way her fingers were rubbing and circling that spot, pressing down occasionally and eliciting gasps and moans from Santana's lips. She was fucking glad the others weren't home right now because she didn't think she'd be able to stay quiet if she tried.

"Uh- you feel _so _good, Santana." Brittany mumbled into the crook of her neck as her fingers continued to slip and slide through her. Santana caught her breath at how incredible sexy Brittany sounded right then, and at how extremely intimate this moment was. She had never felt this close to anyone, ever. Her body rocked involuntarily upwards again as Brittany's fingers inched down and circled her entrance.

"_God, _Brittany- please, I-" She wanted her inside of her so badly. Her mind was spinning and she moaned again as Brittany's fingers traced over her entrance once more. The blonde sucked down had on her neck before lifting her head so that she was now hovering over Santana, propping herself up with her elbow.

"Say it, Santana. Tell… tell me what you want." She said breathlessly and Santana's body flared with heat again. She loved hearing Brittany talk like this. "Tell me." She said again and Santana felt her warm breath over her lips. _Holy mother of god._

"I… I- want you… inside of me." She gasped out and her hips jolted up again as Brittany moaned. Like, seriously the sexiest fucking moan Santana had ever heard. She loved that she was the one making Brittany like this. "God, Britt, I want to feel you inside of me… _so _badly." At this Brittany moaned again and pushed her finger inside Santana. _Oh my fucking god._ Santana gasped and squeezed her eyes shut even tighter as her whole body filled with pleasure. Brittany drew out her finger only to push back inside her with two and all Santana could do was gasp out her name. She gripped Brittany's shoulder harder and rocked up into her thrusts. Brittany continued to pump in and out of her and the pressure was building and building in her stomach to the point when Santana thought she might explode.

"San-tana." Brittany moaned, her breath hitting the Latina's lips again. Her fingers continued their thrusts as she said her name again. "_Santana. _Open… your eyes. I want to look at you when you come for me." Usually Santana had a strict no eye-contact policy whilst hooking-up with people, but _holy hell those were like the hottest words ever. _Plus, this was _Brittany. _She wanted to give her anything and everything. Her hips jerked upwards unconsciously again and she shot her eyes open to bore into darkened, lust-filled blue ones. _Oh god._

Brittany smirked before quickening her movements and Santana felt her body tensing and writhing with pleasure. Her breathing was now out of control and all she could think and feel was Brittany. She felt her legs start to shake and another jolt upwards as Brittany's fingers curved deliciously inside of her. _Holy fuck._

"Oh my- _god, _Britt!Right… yes- _there!"_ Brittany's fingers curled again and Santana held her gaze on blue eyes as her breath stopped, her body shook and trembled before freezing entirely as a wave of pleasure consumed her. "Fuck, don't stop, _please _don't- _uh!_" Brittany's rhythmic thrusting continued and her thumb moved up to rub over her sensitive spot as Santana tumbled over the edge.

_Oh. My. Fucking. God._

Brittany's movements slowed until she was just tracing soft circles over that spot and she guided Santana down from her high. Her body still trembling with aftershocks of pleasure, Santana let out a long breath and smiled, wrapping her arms around Brittany, who removed her hand from her now very sensitive centre and sunk down on top of her. "Oh my god, Britt… That was just…" She sighed, stroking a hand through blond hair.

"I know." Brittany lifted her head from Santana's chest and smiled lazily before leaning down and pressing her lips onto the Latina's. Santana hummed contentedly and sunk into the kiss as she recovered from what was definitely _the_ best orgasm of her life. She smiled against Brittany's lips as she slipped her tongue into her mouth and heard a whimper. Brittany rolled herself gently down into Santana and another wave of pleasure rushed through her as the Brittany's hip pressed down onto her heat. Suddenly her heart rate picked back up and she pushed up harder against the kiss, swallowing another whimper from the blonde. Santana wanted to give Brittany everything she'd just given her and more. She was going to make her feel as incredible as she had just done, if that was even possible.

In a quick movement which surprised Brittany, Santana flipped them so that she was now on top. She looked down at the blonde now underneath her at her mercy and smirked, before crashing their lips together once more. Brittany moaned and shot her hands up to Santana's neck, over her shoulders, down her arms and then began grabbing at squeezing at her breasts again. _Fuck that felt amazing._ She then realised that she was fully naked and Brittany was still way too covered up for her liking. She broke from the kiss, smirking at the whine of protest that left Brittany lips, and sat up. She smiled smugly for a moment as Brittany took in the sight of an entirely naked Santana straddling her waist. Her hooded eyes, dark with want, roamed her body; they trailed up her bare thighs, over her exposed heat and lingered on her heaving chest. Santana almost gave in and leaned in and kissed her again when she saw Brittany lick her lips – _so fucking hot – _but she fought down her own arousal which was still surging through her and remained still.

"Take off your bra." Santana said with her most seductive smile, her eyes not leaving their fixed gaze on Brittany's. Her friend obeyed immediately, reaching behind to undo the clasp and throwing her lace bra onto the floor. Santana's eyes went wide and she forgot how to breathe for a second as she took in the sight of Brittany's perfect breasts below her. _Holy fuck. _This time Brittany smirked at her gaping and her hands lifted to rest on Santana's thighs.

"You like?" Brittany breathed, her smirk growing and all Santana could do was nod hungrily. Her heart was hammering and her chest was heaving as she moved her hands, now trembling with anticipation, over Brittany's exposed stomach. She heard Brittany's breathing quicken as she reached the underneath of her boobs, which only sent arousal burning through her quicker as she watched Brittany's exposed chest heave up and down. _Okay, best. Sight. Ever._ Santana's own breath caught in her throat as her hands slid up to cup the curves of Brittany's breasts. The blonde's mouth fell open and her eyes flickered shut as Santana began to squeeze and rub just as Brittany had done. Her thumbs swiped across two rock hard nipples and Brittany's entire body bucked upwards into her, sending another wave of pleasure through her and causing her to rub and pinch harder.

"Fuck, that feels… so… good." Brittany breathed out and Santana's stomach flipped at how ridiculously hot she sounded right now. She didn't think she'd ever heard her swear, but _holy shit_ it sounded good on her. Brittany's eyes still shut tight, Santana used the opportunity to lean down and wrap her lips around one of her nipples. Brittany wasn't expecting it and gasped loudly, her hand shooting up to hold Santana's head in place. Santana sucked gently, producing loud, guttural moans from the blonde, which only spurred her on more. She darted her tongue out and flicked it over her hard nipple, causing Brittany's hand to tighten its grip on her hair. Santana trailed her mouth over to Brittany's other breast, taking her other nipple and swallowing her lips around it. The blonde rocked herself up into Santana before pulling her head up and crashing their lips together. Santana melted into the kiss and immediately found Brittany's tongue. They sighed and hummed into each other's mouths before Santana tore her lips away and began pressing hard, wet kiss down Brittany's neck. The blonde tilted her head back, allowing the Latina more access as she nipped and sucked at her skin. She trailed her kisses further down, over her collarbone, down in between her breasts and over her toned abs. Santana's breath hitched and she felt Brittany's stomach quivering under her lips as she reached the area just above the hem of her underwear. Santana placed a final kiss on her navel before sitting up and hooking her fingers under the waistband of blue lace panties. She glanced up to see Brittany's hungry stare, and her nodding for Santana to continue.

She tried once again to push down her own burning arousal as she slowly slipped Brittany's underwear over her legs and let it fall onto the floor. _Holy shit._ Santana gulped and let her gaze roam up Brittany's entirely naked body and couldn't help but think she was the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen. She crawled back up Brittany's body and rested herself on top of her, her chest pounding at the sensation of their fully naked body's pressed against each other. "You're so gorgeous, Britt-Britt." She whispered before leaning down and kissing her gently. Brittany smiled against her lips and Santana began trailing her hand down her naked body, shuddering as she felt Brittany tensing under her touch. Brittany's breathing became quicker and heavier as Santana's hand neared her centre. She let her touch tease Brittany for a little longer, as she stroked a finger lightly over her navel, further down, and then back up, all the while feeling Brittany quivering under her.

"_Please. _Oh god- please." Brittany mumbled against her lips and Santana smirked. Eventually, she decided she'd teased enough, and let her fingers trail down towards where she could already feel heat radiating from. Santana tried not to have a heart attack as her fingers finally found their way to Brittany's centre and parted her wet folds because _holy shit, _Brittany was so wet. Like, _really _wet, and Santana couldn't help the moan which escaped her mouth as Brittany gasped and jerked upwards again. Santana found her sensitive spot and Brittany broke away from her lips to moan. She rested her head in the crook of Santana's neck and gripped her shoulders tightly. Santana thought this was probably the best feeling ever having her fingers slipping up and down through Brittany's wetness, circling and pressing down whenever she reached that spot that made Brittany writhe and squirm below her. She could hear Brittany getting more and more worked up, her breathing becoming shallower and her racing pulse now audible as Santana continued to drag her fingers through her. All she could think about was how amazing Brittany felt and how much she wanted to be inside of her just like she had been moments ago. A low whine of Santana's name was all the convincing she needed to push two fingers hard into Brittany's soaked entrance. The blonde let out another high-pitched moan and gripped Santana harder. Her whole body rolled upwards in the hottest way imaginable to meet Santana's thrusts and she could tell Brittany was close as she felt her walls tighten around her fingers. She moved her thumb to rub over her sensitive mound as she twisted the fingers inside of her, just as Brittany had done to her.

"Oh, _god-"_ Brittany groaned. Her walls tightened harder around Santana's fingers, so she repeated the motion. "Yes- god, yes. _There… San-ta-na!" _Once, twice Santana repeated the rubbing of her thumb and the twisting of her fingers, and on the third time Brittany froze beneath her and she came with another gasp of her name. _Holy mother of god. _Santana slowed her movements before withdrawing her fingers to trace soft circles over that sensitive spot, bringing Brittany back down and prolonging the waves of pleasure. When she heard the blonde's breathing start to return to normal, and felt her body relax beneath her, she removed her hand and placed a soft kiss to her forehead, before rolling off and lying on her back next to her.

"Wow." Brittany managed to get out through her still slightly shallow breathing. "That was just… _wow."_ She turned to face Santana and ran a hand over her cheek.

"I know." Santana agreed, rolling over to look at the blonde and smiling, because that was _amazing, _and she looked so beautiful. "That was… you're incredible, Britt." Santana leaned in and caught Brittany's shy smile in her lips. Even after all of that, she still couldn't get enough of kissing her. Brittany sighed happily as they broke apart, and lifted her hand to stroke soft lines up and down Santana's bare arm. Santana hummed and smiled because Brittany knew she loved it when she did that.

"That was… like, the most amazing thing ever, Santana." Brittany whispered as the Latina scooted closer to her. "Sex machine was totally accurate." Brittany giggled and Santana shoved her playfully before pulling her in for another deep kiss. Santana felt her insides warm deliciously as their lips moved and their tongues brushed together lazily. They eventually broke apart and Santana rested her head on Brittany's chest.

"You're staying here with me right?" Santana whispered, feeling her eyelids beginning to shut as Brittany wrapped her arms around her.

"I'm not going anywhere, Santana."

**…**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for the lovely reviews - glad you enjoyed that chapter ;)**

**I'm loving writing this, so I'm not planning on stopping anytime soon - lots more to come! Keep letting me know what you think. And feel free to throw in any ideas! **

**AlabamaMiles that was just the combo I was going for!**

**Enjoy!**

**…**

Chapter 15:

_Okay. Best. Feeling. Ever. _

So, usually the morning after sex Santana would be desperately trying to figure out her best way to escape. Her head would without a doubt be pounding from too much alcohol the night before, her body would be sore and her mind full of regret. But mostly she would just feel _numb._ She'd probably be tip-toeing around the room, hurriedly tugging on the previous night's outfit and fumbling around for her things right about now, trying as hard as possible not to wake up the unsuspecting guy/girl, and getting herself the hell out of there so she could forget it ever happened.

But not this morning. Hell no. She was definitely in no hurry to escape anywhere. Partly because this was her own apartment, so duh, that would be weird. But mostly because she was so freaking happy right now. Actually, no, happy doesn't even come close. _Over the moon? Ecstatic?_ Whatever, there wasn't a word. But it sure as hell felt fantastic and she never wanted to let this feeling go.

She'd been lying there for what felt like hours. It was one of those incredible autumnal mornings which reminded her of how much she loved New York. October sun was filtering in from the large window by her bed, filling the room with a kind of hazy glow, and it was actually quiet for once. Well, as quiet as it could ever be in the city; she could still hear cars driving past, the occasional horn beeping, and muffled voices of people chatting in the street below, but it still felt so peaceful. A lazy smile stretched across her face as she decided that this perfect morning had absolutely nothing to do with any of that. In fact, it had entirely to do with the more than perfect girl who was lying – _naked _she might add – under the covers next to her. Santana sighed happily for what felt like the hundredth time this morning as she let her gaze drift over Brittany's body. Lying on her front, her long, blonde hair fell messily over her neck, her exposed shoulders were poking out above the duvet and her bare arms were resting up above her head on the pillow. Santana's grin stretched even wider as she slowly lifted a hand and pushed the covers down a little to expose a beautifully toned back, and traced a finger softly down Brittany's spine. She felt a delicious tingle run over her body and decided that this was by far the best way to wake up. Ever.

_She could so get used to this. _

Santana lifted herself a little and carefully leaned down to press a soft kiss in between Brittany's shoulder blades. She heard the blonde hum in response and shift slightly. She gently pushed aside some of the hair covering Brittany's neck and placed another light kiss just under her jaw line. Brittany hummed again and mumbled something incoherent into her pillow. Santana chuckled softly and continued to slowly ghost her lips over more of Brittany's exposed skin.

"What was that?" She whispered with a smirk into the blonde's ear, who twisted a little to face Santana, her eyes still shut and a sleepy smile tugging at her lips.

"… nice…" Brittany mumbled again and Santana leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, you are." She responded, her smile growing wider. _Okay, seriously, sleepy Brittany? Way too adorable._ She rested her head on her pillow again, and inched towards the blonde's face, just close enough so that she could brush their noses together. Brittany smiled again, before leaning even closer and catching Santana's lips in a soft kiss. She caught her breath for a moment because she couldn't imagine anything feeling more amazing than this right now and melted into Brittany's lips. They broke apart and both sighed content, happy sighs.

"Mmm… morning." Brittany said sleepily, her eyes finally fluttering open and Santana caught her breath again as she felt herself sink into blue. She rubbed their noses together again and lifted her hand to gently stroke her cheek.

"Morning to you too. Last night was…"

"Perfect." Brittany finished for her, a smile creeping wider across her face, before her eyes fluttered closed again. "Sleepy…" She mumbled as she buried her face into Santana's neck. _Yep, perfect. _She carefully peered over Brittany's shoulder to glance at her alarm clock and saw that it was just after nine. She had class at ten, and however much she wanted to stay here in this exact moment forever, she figured she had better show her face today, and Brittany probably had classes too. Santana slowly began pulling the covers off her and peeling herself away from Brittany, before she was trapped by an arm around her waist. "Stay." Brittany muttered into the crook of her neck and Santana chuckled at the adorable pout on her lips. She smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"I've got to get ready for class, Britt, but you stay here, you're sleepy. I'll bring you some breakfast." At this, Brittany smiled again, her eyes still closed, and loosed her grip on Santana. "What time do you have class?"

"Twelve. And I'm gonna practice after." She shuffled a little and opened one eye in possibly the cutest way ever. "Will you come watch me?" Santana grinned and pecked her lips softly.

"I would love that, Britt-Britt. Now go back to sleep. I'll set your alarm, okay?" Brittany's eye closed again and she nodded before snuggling back down into her pillow. _Adorable._ Santana carefully climbed out of bed, pulling on some shorts and a sweatshirt to cover up her still naked body and stumbled out into the corridor. She pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail and nearly had a heart attack when Rachel jumped up and greeted her from the living room.

"Good morning!" Rachel sung and skipped over to her. Santana lifted a finger to her lips, motioning for her to be quiet. Rachel mouthed an _Oh _and she glanced over to Santana's bedroom door. "So I take it things went well yesterday?" She asked in a barely quiet at all stage whisper. Santana rolled her eyes as she made her way over to the kitchen area.

"You could say that." Santana responded, unable to hide her grin as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Well, I truly am extremely happy for you, Santana." Rachel beamed as she sat down at the island. Oh god, she was still being annoyingly nice. She guessed she really did owe Rachel a thank you for everything she'd done yesterday and took a deep breath, figuring she should probably just get it over with. Better to do it now while she was still half asleep and her mind would be too groggy to care that much. Maybe the coffee mug she was holding could act as a shield to protect her from any over-emotional Berry hugs. Leaning against the counter, she looked down at the ground awkwardly.

"Look, Berry. I'm gonna say this once and only once. And if you dare tell _anyone_, there will be freaking hell to pay." She glanced up to see a rather startled looking Rachel. She coughed awkwardly. "I, uh, just wanted to… to… I wanted to say thank you." Santana watched in horror as Rachel's eyes widened, her lips stretched into an obscenely large smile and she began to get out of her chair, almost certainly for a hug. _Oh dear lord. _She glared and lifted a hand, motioning for her to stop before she continued quickly. "What you did was really great… you know, talking to me and helping with getting Brittany to meet me… and getting you and Kurt out of the house. So yeah… uh, thanks." _Phew. Okay, that wasn't so bad. _Santana immediately regretted speaking so soon as she saw Rachel's eyes begin to water. _God, really?_ "Jesus Christ, are you actually crying, Berry?" Rachel shook her head and not so discreetly dabbed the corner of her eye with her sleeve.

"No, no. I just… I think that's the nicest thing you've said to me. And… I don't know, I just guess I'm glad we're friends." _Oh man. _Rachel glanced up to Santana who rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile at little.

"You're such a loser." She said playfully, shaking her head, and Rachel chuckled. "_Anyway_, where's Lady Hummel got to?" She added, eager to change the subject and forget this embarrassingly affectionate conversation ever happened. Rachel sniffled a little before taking a bite of her bagel.

"Still at Tina and Mike's, helping Tina with an outfit or something I think." Santana nodded and took a sip of her coffee.

"Berry, I, uh… You haven't told anyone yet have you? About… you know, me and Brittany?" She asked in a quiet voice without lifting her gaze from her coffee mug.

"Of course not. I realise it's not my place to tell anyone." Rachel replied and Santana glanced up to see her smiling warmly.

"Okay, good. It's just… I'm really happy and everything… I'm just not ready to go shouting it from the freaking rooftops or anything just yet, you know? And I really don't want Quinn finding out, she'd just-"

"You don't have to worry, Santana." Rachel cut her off and Santana let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Good, 'cause Brittany told Quinn she was staying at Trouty-mouth's place last night and-" Santana was cut off by the front door flying open and a flustered looking Quinn rushing into the apartment. _Shit._ Moments later an equally as flustered Kurt appeared behind her.

"Quinn! You practically knocked me over downstairs! And you could have at least got the elevator to wait for me!" Kurt panted, clutching a hand to his chest and gripping onto the door with the other. "Why are you in such a goddamn hurry?" Quinn stormed over to the kitchen and flung her bag and keys onto the island, startling Rachel and causing her to drop her bagel. _Oh god. This can't be good. _

"Whoa, what the hell's wrong with you, Q?" Santana asked from her place by the counter. Quinn started to search her gaze around the room. She seemed angry and panicked, and the others just stared at her blankly as she sighed and cursed under her breath.

"Fuck. Where the hell is she?" _Who?_

_Oh shit. _

"I'm gonna save you time Q, I'm right here." Santana replied with her best smirk as Quinn continued to survey the apartment. She figured cracking a joke might help make light of the situation for as long as possible, because she had a very good feeling who she might be looking for and she really didn't want to deal with that right now.

"_Brittany_. Have you seen her?" _Shit, shit, shit._ Quinn folded her arms and glared. Santana gulped. Hard. She had pretty much expected her to say that, but it still came as a shock for some reason. Her heart began to race and she tried to find words but she couldn't speak. _What the fuck was she supposed to say? _Oh, not to worry, Quinn. Brittany's currently lying naked in my bed. We had sex last night. Want a bagel?

"_Well?" _Quinn continued, still eyeing Santana. The Latina glanced over to the corridor leading to her bedroom, silently praying that Brittany wouldn't emerge at any moment, and then back to Quinn. Oh shit, she was definitely pissed off. Santana still couldn't speak. She was frozen to the spot and she felt her cheeks heating up under Quinn's glare. She took a gulp of coffee thinking that might help. _Nope. Extremely bad idea. _Her cheeks heated up even more and Quinn threw her arms up in frustration. "Where the hell is she?" She looked away from Santana and turned to Rachel, whose eyes were wide, and then to Kurt, who just looked extremely confused. Feeling herself cool down a little now that Quinn's gaze was no longer fixed on her, Santana managed to get her mouth working again.

"Alright, Fabray, I'm gonna need you to dial down the _crazy_ for just a second and calm down. I'm pretty sure she said something about staying with Trouty-mouth." She tried her best to sound as normal as possible and even made the effort to roll her eyes but it didn't seem to help. Quinn whipped back around to her and sighed with exasperation.

"Do you not think I know that, Santana? She texted me saying she was at Sam's last night, but I've just seen Puck. He was with Sam all night and Brittany wasn't at his." _Oh fuck. _Quinn sighed again, sunk down onto a stool and put her head in her hands. When she looked up again, she seemed less angry and more upset, or concerned. "Where is she? I just… she didn't come home and now…" Santana's heart was now hammering in her chest as she began to panic. _Think, fucking think. _

"I, uh… she…" Santana glanced to Rachel, who seemed to suddenly register the situation because she turned to Quinn and began speaking.

"Oh I actually saw Brittany yesterday and she mentioned something about staying at… her parents. Yes, that was it! Her parents. She's probably there, so there's no need to worry, Quinn." _Thank god for Berry._ Quinn looked up and glanced between her and Rachel. She wasn't sure if Quinn had bought it, but when the blonde took a deep breath smiled a little, Santana felt herself relax. _Phew. _

"Uh, okay. Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I just thought she might be-" Quinn stopped mid-sentence and darted her eyes up to Santana. Her hazel eyes narrowed on something just below her face and Santana felt her body heat up again. _What? What was she looking at? _Before she could say anything, Rachel had stood up from her stool and was grabbing her by the arm.

"Santana, I need… your help with something." _What the fuck?_ Santana tried not to let her coffee spill as Rachel yanked on her arm and began dragging her away from the kitchen. She pulled her arm free and stared at her bewildered. Kurt and Quinn were also looking in their direction with confused expressions.

"Berry, what the _hell_ are you on about?" Rachel simply glared back at her, as if trying to send her a silent message through her eyes. _Okay, so not getting this._

"I need your help with the song I'm singing tomorrow." She gave her another meaningful look and Santana just stared back at her blankly. _She was so fucking weird sometimes._

"Look, I have no idea what you're talking about, but can't it wait?" _Really, Berry? Kind of in the middle of a crisis right now._

"No. It can't." And with that, Rachel dragged her out of the living room and into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She immediately rushed over to her dresser and began rummaging through her make-up bag.

"Okay seriously, Dwarf. What the hell was that?" Rachel didn't answer, but instead kept rifling. "Jesus, if you wanted to talk to me so badly, you could have at least come up with something mildly convincing. Who the hell's gonna believe you would actually want _my_ help with a song choice? Urgh whatever… I guess thank you for the quick thinking about Brittany's parents. If Quinn was to find out I-" Rachel turned around and cut her off.

"You have an enormous love-bite on your neck." Santana's hand shot up to her throat and she winced at the tenderness of her skin. She darted over to the mirror and couldn't help but smirk at the large, purple bruise just below her jaw. _Nice work, Britt._ However, her smug grin was soon replaced with a look of horror as realisation dawned over her that Quinn must have just seen that. _Oh fuck. How had she not remembered to check?_ Her eyes widened as she tugged at the neck of her sweatshirt and found another hickey. _Shit. _Did Quinn know? Oh god, she had to. First, Brittany didn't go home, then Santana completely panicked when she asked her about it, and now she had a fucking hickey on her neck. _Oh god, oh god, oh god. Panic._

"Do you think she knows?" Santana demanded, turning to Rachel with a horrified look. Her heart was beginning to race and she suddenly felt nauseous.

"I don't know. Here." Rachel brought out a concealer stick and began rubbing it onto Santana's neck in her best effort to conceal the bruising. Santana winced again. "I don't think so. I mean, it's not like you waking up with multiple love-bites is completely out of the ordinary… No offense." She added hastily as Santana shot her a glare. _Harsh, but probably fair. _Okay, phew. Slightly calmer now. Why would Quinn automatically have to assume it was Brittany who gave her the hickey? That would seriously be jumping to conclusions, right? Besides, she might not have even seen it properly. She was on the other side of the kitchen after all. "There you go. It's mostly gone. You may want to consider wearing a turtle neck today though. I have one you can borrow." She added with a smile and Santana's horrified expression returned. _Hell, no._

"Seriously, Berry? I would say 'how stupid are you?', but you seem to be taking that as a personal challenge this days. So I'll just say that if you think I'm going to be caught dead in one of your god awful-"

"Fine! Wear a scarf of something, then. I'm just trying to help." Rachel looked a little defeated and shoved the concealer back into her bag, before folding her arms and pouting. _For the love of god, one problem at a time._

"Okay, Berry, I'm sorry. I guess you have saved my ass a few times over the past couple of days. Thank you." Rachel's smile returned and she nodded_. _"But seriously, please do us all a favour and throw out that turtle-neck." Santana added with a smirk and Rachel only rolled her eyes. Suddenly the two girls heard Kurt's voice from the living room.

"Ladies? Is everything alright in there?" Santana's eyes widened and she grabbed Rachel's arm. Her mind went to Brittany, who was still asleep, naked in her bed. What if she woke up and went into the kitchen? Worse still, what if Kurt or Quinn went into her bedroom and found her? _Shit._

"Listen to me very carefully, Berry." She whispered, grabbing her friend by the arm and leaning in close. "If you do one and one thing only today, _please _for the love of god get those two idiots the hell outta here." Rachel nodded determinedly, seemingly relishing her important role in all of this, and strode over to the door. "And Berry?" She paused and turned to face Santana. "Thank you. Seriously." Rachel smiled before leaving the room. _At least that girl had some uses._ As she grabbed the concealer stick again and desperately tried to cover up more of the bruising, she heard Rachel explaining to Kurt and Quinn that she was taking them out for a large breakfast. Santana had to hand it to the girl, she was a pretty damn good actress.

After a few minutes, she heard the front door close and the apartment fell into silence again. She placed the concealer back in Rachel's make-up bag and slowly opened the door, peeking through to check that they had in fact left. Breathing a sigh of relief, she returned to the kitchen area. _Crisis avoided. _Santana grabbed a couple of bagels, various spreads and a glass of orange juice, arranged them carefully on a tray and carried it out into the corridor. Pausing before she got to her room, she quickly darted back to Rachel's, stole a flower from the arrangement on her desk and placed in on the tray along with the breakfast. _She would never notice. _Santana might have cringed at how pathetically corny she was being right now, but the thought of Brittany's adorable smile when she woke up to find this made her not care. At all.

Santana opened the door slowly and peered in, only to grin stupidly when she saw Brittany fast asleep in the exact spot she'd left her. Distracted for a moment by how freaking _perfect _Brittany looked right now, Santana shook herself from her daze and tip-toed over to the bed before placing the tray down carefully on the little table beside it. She grabbed a pad of paper and a pen from the top draw and scribbled out a note, which she placed under the pink flower.

_Hey Britt-Britt. Enjoy breakfast, I'll see you for your practice and we'll go for lunch after. And if anyone asks, you were at your parents' last night – I'll explain later!_

_Santana x_

_Ps. You look kinda beautiful right now._

She was about to screw it up and start again with something a little less cheesy, but when she stole another glance at the sleeping blonde, she changed her mind. Santana just had this overwhelming urge to make her happy. Brittany had the most amazing smile in the world, and Santana thought right then how she always wanted to be the one to make her smile. She leaned over and pressed her lips to Brittany's temple, softly so as not to wake her, and grinned as the blonde hummed happily in her sleep.

_Yup. She could definitely get used to this._

**…**

_Jesus Fucking Christ._

Santana couldn't take her eyes off her. Like, literally, her eyes had not left Brittany for even one second during the entire routine. How could she possibly look anywhere else when Brittany was this mesmerizing?

Santana was sat on a chair in one of NYADA's many dance studios watching, completely captivated, as Brittany ran through her dance routine. She was incredible. Like, seriously amazing. The way she was moving, her body twisting and popping to the hip-hop beats pumping through the studio, and her face in full concentration. Only earlier that morning, Santana had watched Brittany as she slept, so at ease and so _beautiful_, and right now there was that exact same beauty. Santana had seen her dance a little before, but not like this. It was stunning and magnetic, and just so… _sexy. _Santana could feel her entire body heating up and her heart racing and she shifted a little in her seat as the heat began to reach between her legs. _Holy shit._ Even though she realised she was getting way too turned on watching Brittany dance, Santana still couldn't tear her gaze away. It was like right then, no one and nothing else existed; she was being drawn to her and pulled towards her like-

"Santana?" She snapped out of her trance and realised she hadn't even noticed the music had shut off. She felt more heat rush to her cheeks as she saw that Brittany was now standing, her hands on her hips and her head tilted to the side with a little smirk tugging at her lips. _Oh god. Well, that's embarrassing._ She cleared her throat a little and sat up in her chair, trying desperately to ignore the throbbing between her legs. "I take it from that gaping look on your face that you liked it?" Brittany teased, still a little out of breath from her routine, and her smirk growing wider.

"I, uh… um..." Santana stammered and cringed at her inability to form words. She couldn't help it though, people should seriously be warned about the effects of Brittany's dancing. The blonde giggled and began walking towards Santana. Her heart was still thumping in her chest and the way Brittany's intense gaze was fixed on her as she stepped closer only made the burning heat worse. Santana hadn't quite prepared herself for just how hot Brittany would look when she had asked her this morning to come and watch her practice. Her long hair was scraped back into a tight, high ponytail, she was wearing grey sweats which sat low on her hips and a pink sports bra exposing her deliciously toned abs. _Yep, just a sports bra. _With each of her heavy breaths, her chest would heave up and down and her abs would tighten and then relax again. It was almost too much for Santana, especially when she let her mind drift back to the previous night and how she'd had that body pressed on top of hers, and the things she'd done to her and-

"Really that good, huh?" Brittany asked with a quirked eyebrow, and Santana noticed she was now standing right in front of her. She glanced up to see Brittany still smirking and her heated gaze sent another wave of heat rushing through her. _Oh god. _

"I… that… that was- _holy shit, _Brittany_." _Okay, maybe not the most coherent response, but that did pretty much sum up how Santana felt about that performance. Brittany only giggled again, and Santana's breath caught in her throat as the blonde took another step forward, so that she was now standing with one leg either side of Santana's thighs. She gulped as Brittany lowered herself slowly so that she was straddling her lap, and Santana's hands shot up instinctively to rest on her bare waist. "Hi." Santana managed to whisper as she heard Brittany's breath hitch with the contact to her skin. _Jesus, she was so turned on right now. _As she let her hands roam Brittany's exposed stomach, loving the way her muscles quivered under her touch, she couldn't stop thinking about last night. Remembering the way Brittany had touched her, the way her bare skin had felt against her own and the way the blonde had moaned and gasped her name, only sent the same jolts of pleasure through her body as before. Brittany lifted her hands to loop around Santana's neck and the Latina once again felt trapped under her heated, lust filled gaze. She glanced down to her lips and felt Brittany do the same. After looking quickly over to the door to check it was still closed, Santana tightened her grip on Brittany's waist and pulled her closer. "You. Were. Amazing." She whispered slowly and heard the blonde inhale sharply as Santana's breath brushed over her lips. They were now only inches apart, their eyes still locked on each other and their breathing heavy.

"Last night… was…" Brittany whispered breathlessly before Santana finally closed the distance between them and did what she'd been wanting to do all day. Since she'd had to leave for class this morning, she'd been craving Brittany's lips, the way they felt and tasted on her own, and the way last night they'd trailed all over her body…

Santana closed her eyes and sighed against the kiss as Brittany sucked on her bottom lip and tightened her grip around her neck, pulling her in even closer. She swallowed Brittany's moan as their tongues found each other's and Santana's whole body tingled as she took in that familiar taste. Her hands continued to explore Brittany's toned stomach, inching further upwards until her fingers began teasing at the bottom of her sports bra. She heard Brittany whimper into her mouth and felt another rush of heat as her fingers dipped just inside the material and brushed the underneath of Brittany's boobs. Her head was spinning deliciously as Brittany rolled her hips down into her and _holy fuck _she wanted her so badly right now. Their tongues continued to fight each other's and her hands under her bra inched ever so slowly up until-

The two girls jumped as Santana's phone vibrated loudly in her pocket. _Fucking hell, really?_ Santana groaned in frustration and removed her hands from Brittany's sports bra. They broke apart, resting their foreheads together and breathing heavily as Santana pulled her phone out of her jeans. She pressed another quick kiss onto Brittany's lips which were now pushed out into an adorable pout.

"Sorry, Britt." She breathed, still panting as Brittany shuffled backwards a little and dropped her hands to rest in her lap.

"It's okay. I guess we probably shouldn't be doing this here anyway. Even though it was totally hot." Brittany added with a grin and took Santana's hand which wasn't holding her still buzzing phone. Santana smiled and felt herself blush as she interlaced their fingers together, before pressing the green button on her phone without bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Whatever this is, it better be fucking important." She snapped into the phone and Brittany giggled still sitting on her lap.

_"Well hello to you too, Santana."_ She rolled her eyes and mouthed _Quinn_ to Brittany who nodded. Fucking Fabray and her fucking perfect timing as per fucking usual. _"I would have thought you'd be in a good mood today considering the size of the hickey I saw on your neck this morning."_ Santana froze. She glanced up to Brittany who must have heard too because her eyes were wide and her mouth had fallen open a little. _Oh god. _Her heart rate picked up again and she felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

"W-what? I- That wasn't-" Santana was majorly panicking now. She felt Brittany squeeze her hand and looked up into reassuring blue eyes. _Okay, calm. Deep breath. This is not as bad as it seems. _Before she could reply with some clever comment, she heard Quinn chuckle on the other end of the phone and she breathed a small sigh of relief.

_"Oh calm down S. I'm only playing with you. I'm sure whoever the guy was, he was lovely." _Santana felt herself relax and heard Brittany let out a breath too. _Thank fuck._

"Yeah, well, whatever." She replied with a huff as she managed to compose herself. "Would you now care to tell me why you're calling? Other than poking your nose in my business, I mean." She could practically see Quinn rolling her eyes on the other end of the phone.

_"I'm taking you out to lunch!"_ Quinn exclaimed cheerfully and Santana's stomach dropped. It wasn't exactly that she didn't want to see Quinn, it was just that she'd promised Brittany that they would have lunch together, and Santana would much rather spend time with her right now. Alone. She glanced up to Brittany, who simply shrugged. _"Santana?" _Quinn's voice sounded through the phone again.

"Oh, um… I'm kind of having lunch with Britt." She wasn't really sure what else to say, and she felt bad for rejecting her, but she wanted to be with Brittany.

_"I figured."_ Quinn sounded a little dejected and paused before continuing._ "I texted her too but she probably didn't get it. I thought we could all go out together."_ Oh.

"Um…"

_"Come on S. You guys are always together and I don't know… I guess I feel a little left out. Brittany's my roommate and I hardly ever get to see her... Besides, I miss the three of us hanging out like we used to." _Oh jeez, way to guilt trip, Fabray. Santana did feel a little bad though and, glancing up to Brittany, she guessed she felt the same because she was looking down and fiddling with Santana's fingers. Quinn was one of Santana's closest friends and she guessed she had kind of been neglecting her recently. It was just so hard to think about anyone else other than Brittany at the moment. _"Come on, you've totally been hogging her."_ She heard Quinn joke and Santana rolled her eyes. She squeezed Brittany's hand who lifted her eyes to meet hers. Santana held the phone to her chest so that Quinn wouldn't hear and quietly asked Brittany if she minded. She pouted a little but then shook her head and smiled. Brittany was too nice to leave anyone out.

"Okay, _fine." _Santana said with a dramatic sigh as she lifted the phone back to her ear. Quinn squealed. "Meet us round the corner in ten." As she was about to hang up, Quinn spoke again.

_"Actually I'm already at NYADA. Which studio are you in?"_ _Fuck._ Brittany's eyes widened and she leapt off Santana, who stood up and frantically began smoothing out her clothes.

"Y-you're already here? What the fuck Q, how did you even know I'd say yes?" Santana snapped as she hurriedly ran a hand through her probably tousled hair.

"You forget that I know you too well, Santana." Quinn replied with a chuckle. She quickly scanned her eyes over Brittany to check her appearance. Noticing some of her pink lip gloss smeared at the corner of Brittany's mouth, she quickly used her finger to wipe it off, and just in time because the door then flung open and Quinn appeared. "Ready to go?" She said with a smile, hanging up her phone, and the two girls nodded, still a little out of breath. "I can't wait, it'll be just like old times!" Santana and Brittany exchanged glances before grabbing their things and following Quinn out of the studio.

**…**

"So, you never told me who this charming guy was that was sucking on your neck last night?" Quinn quirked an eyebrow and looked at Santana with an amused grin.

"Oh didn't I? Must be because it's none of your fucking business." Santana retorted as she squeezed into the booth next to Brittany, whose cheeks were a little pink. _Cute._

"Oh wipe that look of your face, S. I'm only teasing." Quinn chuckled from her seat opposite them.

"Yet, despite that _look_, for some reason you're still talking." Santana shot a glare at her friend across the table. She then turned to Brittany who was giggling adorably, before hurriedly wiping off the probably stupid grin she had plastered across her face – or the _Brittany smile_ as Quinn so affectionately named it – and looked back at her friend smirking opposite her.

"Jeez, why are you so touchy?" Quinn teased as she picked up a menu. "It's not like I'm not well aware of your regular night time _activities._ Or was this person more than just another _bash and dash?_"

"Ew, gross." Santana scrunched up her nose from behind her menu at Quinn's delightful choice of vocabulary.

"Fuck and duck? Boom and zoom?... _Pounce and bounce?_" Quinn continued through a smirk and Brittany giggled again, although her cheeks were now definitely red. _Let's hope Quinn didn't notice. _Rolling her eyes at Santana's disgusted expression, Quinn put down her menu and studied her friend. "What, don't tell me Santana Lopez has actually developed _feelings _for someone?" She shook her head and laughed as if that was the most ridiculous suggestion ever. Santana felt herself tense and her cheeks blushing a little, so dropped her gaze from her friend and began studying the menu in front of her. She felt Brittany tense a little next to her. "Oh my god! No, I don't believe it." Quinn's expression changed from amusement to sheer bewilderment and Santana felt her cheeks warm even more.

"What?" Santana eventually snapped as she felt Quinn's lingering gaze on her. "Who says I can't have real feelings for someone?" She hadn't meant to say it, because she knew it would only spur Quinn on and make her even more curious, but she hated listening to her describe her like that. Especially around Brittany.

"Oh, please. You've told me yourself, countless times actually. 'I'm Santana Lopez. I don't _do _feelings. Never have, never will.'" She put on an annoying voice in an attempt to impersonate Santana, which only made the Latina's cheeks heat up more. She couldn't deny it; she remembered saying that, and probably on more than one occasion. Ever since Brittany had left all those years ago, and then when her dad had moved out, she just began putting up this sort of front. She'd seen how her parents' once happy marriage had just turned to shit right in front of her, and she had decided then that she would never put herself through that kind of hell. She had seen what it had done to her mum, how broken it had made her, and she had watched as her dad changed into this entirely different person. He had just left; abandoned two people he was meant to love more than anything in this world. And Brittany had left too. Of course, it wasn't her fault and Santana didn't blame her for anything, but she hadn't been able stop her sudden need to then distance herself from everyone. It was easier not to feel anything at all than to feel all that pain. _That's_ why she had said she didn't do feelings. It was just easier that way, until now anyway. Santana had put up her walls so quickly all those years ago, and the thought that now someone might be breaking them down scared her a little, but also gave her a strange sense of relief. Slowly, Brittany was pulling down her walls, and Santana smiled to herself as she realised that this girl was probably the only person who ever could.

When she felt Brittany nudge her on the arm, Santana realised she'd been lost in her thoughts, and turned up to look into those blue eyes. She instantly felt herself relax, and her sour thoughts melt away a little. She took a deep breath and returned her gaze to Quinn, who was looking at her with confusion.

"Well, maybe people can change." Santana said with a shrug. A delicious warmth spread through her as she felt a reassuring squeeze on her thigh under the table. Quinn narrowed her eyes on Santana before leaning back in her seat and returning her attention to the menu.

"That's something I'd pay good money to see." She said with a smirk and Santana rolled her eyes.

With perfect timing, the waiter appeared and asked if they were ready to order, interrupting the slightly awkward tension around the table. Santana told the scrawny-looking waiter, who couldn't have been more than about 17, that she would have the risotto and a diet coke and turned to Quinn who ordered the same. He scribbled down their choices and glanced to Brittany, who was doing that cute face she always did whenever she was thinking really hard about something. The one where her face is all scrunched up in concentration and her tongue pokes out a little. After a few moments she smiled and set her menu down on the table.

"Pepperoni pizza please." Brittany announced triumphantly and the young guy wrote it down on his pad of paper. "Only without the pepperoni. Thanks." She beamed again and handed the waiter, who was looking completely baffled, her menu. Santana's heart swelled a little and she felt a large grin stretching at her lips as she stared at Brittany. If anyone else said something like that, they would sound crazy, yet Brittany somehow manages to get away with it, whilst being totally adorable. She heard Quinn chuckle opposite them.

"You know that's just a margarita, Brittany?" She said with an amused voice. Brittany nodded and continued to grin.

"I know, duh. But margarita pizza just sounds so boring. I hate eating boring food, but I also hate pepperoni so…" This time Santana laughed because this girl was just freaking amazing. Quinn giggled too and the young waiter awkwardly joined in, before Santana shot him a glare and he scurried off into the back room.

"What a loser. I mean, seriously, what's the age restriction for working in this place 'cause he looked about twelve? I'm pretty sure he still had braces." Santana said, scowling at the direction in which the waiter boy had just hurried off. The others chuckled and she returned her attention back to the table. Desperately wanting to prevent the conversation from returning to its earlier topic of _feelings_, Santana turned to Quinn.

"Plans for this weekend? Are we partying?" Quinn looked at her weirdly for a second, before sighing and shaking her head.

"How have you forgotten? We're having the Halloween party tomorrow night, S. I host it every year." _Oh right. Halloween. _Not Santana's favourite holiday. All those snotty little kids running around all hyped up on sugar, knocking on their door and asking for candy. Like, why is it suddenly okay just to waltz up to strangers' houses and demand that they give you sweets? And not to mention the hideously embarrassing costumes she'd had to put up with from Kurt and Rachel over the years. Last year they genuinely went as salt and pepper. Not even kidding.

"Does this mean I get to help host?" Brittany asked excitedly and Quinn grinned and nodded. She squealed and bounced up and down in her seat. "I've never hosted anything before. This is gonna be awesome!" Quinn smiled in agreement before shooting a glare towards Santana.

"And S, you have wear a costume this year." Santana groaned dramatically and lay her head in her hands.

"Can't I just wear the super hot dress I bought the other day? I fucking hate costumes." She mumbled into her hands. Quinn shook her head.

"Nope, you have to dress up as something." Santana lifted her head and opened her mouth to speak but Quinn cut her off. "And not a 'hot bitch' like you came as last year." _Damn._ Brittany giggled from beside her and prodded her in the arm.

"Please, Santanaaa." She whined. "You _have _to dress up! It's Halloween! Anyway, it'll be super fun." She pushed her lips out into that pout of hers and Santana knew she was a gonner. Britt so didn't play fair. She sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes.

"Urgh, _fine."_ Brittany squealed again and pulled her towards her in a tight sideways hug. Quinn clapped her hands excitedly and Santana had to wriggle herself out of Brittany's vice grip for fear that she might actually stop breathing soon. "Yes I know, it's a miracle." She said sarcastically when Brittany finally released her. "I just better look freaking hot in my costume. And if Berry and Hummel even so much as _suggest_ that I join in with one of their tragic couple costumes, then someone is really gonna have a problem." She shot serious looks to her two friends who both chuckled. "Britt… what are you gonna wear?" Santana tried to keep her voice level, but she couldn't deny she was pretty excited about the thought of Brittany in a costume, hopefully a super slutty one. _After all, isn't Halloween just an excuse for girls to dress up as sluts for a night?_

"It's a secret." Brittany replied and Santana noticed a mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes. _Okay, maybe she could be coming around to this whole Halloween thing._

**…**

A couple of hours later, the three girls stepped out of the elevator onto the floor of Santana's apartment. Santana pushed open the door and almost stumbled backwards as a very flustered Rachel jumped towards her.

"Where on earth have you been?" She yelled, grabbing Santana's shoulders and glaring at her with a terrifying look on her face. "I've been texting you and calling you for the past half an hour!"

"Jesus, Berry." Santana replied rather shocked, Quinn and Brittany standing behind her with equally confused expressions. "First of all, please don't get all up in my personal space." She took Rachel's hands and removed them from their tight hold on her arms. "And second of all, calm the fuck down. My phone was probably on silent." Santana huffed and made her way over to the sofa where Kurt was sat, who simply rolled his eyes and shook his head. She heaved herself onto the couch, dumping her bag on the floor.

"She was having lunch with us." Quinn added, still looking confused, as she and Brittany flopped down onto the other couch. Rachel stomped over and stood above them all, her hands on her hips and a wild look still in her eye.

"We're having a house meeting." _Oh god._ Santana groaned dramatically, leant back into the sofa and propped her feet up on the coffee table.

"Really, Berry? It's Friday, I'm fucking exhausted. And these house meetings are such bullshit." The last meeting Rachel had called was to organise a 'grocery schedule', which Santana soon completely refused to follow because there was no way in hell she was stepping foot in that freaky health store again to buy vegan shit. That place was too creepy.

"Santana." Rachel snapped, stepping forward to hover over her. "This is important. It's a code red situation." _Jesus Fucking Christ. _Santana groaned again and Kurt nudged her.

"Seriously, she's been like this for the past hour." He explained, ignoring Rachel's glare, and rolled his eyes. "She's refused to tell me what was going on until you got here and she's been in a complete panic. I think we better just listen before she breaks into Les Mis again…" _Oh for the love of god._

"Do us a favour and just spit it out, Berry." Santana snapped before Rachel could defend herself.

"Yes, Rachel what's going on?" Quinn asked, her voice laced with concern. Rachel heaved herself down onto the coffee table and threw her hands up dramatically.

"We've… we've received our final notice!" She blurted out before throwing her face into her hands. _Sorry, what?_

"_Excuse me?_" Santana snapped, sitting forward in her seat and looking around bewildered at the others, who looked equally as panicked.

"What? This can't possibly be right!" Kurt cried. He stood up from the sofa and began pacing back and forth. "How can we have a notice? We've been giving you our rent money. Every month - It's always on time! I mean, how on earth- we never miss rent." He paused from his rambling for a second to look at Santana who nodded violently in confirmation. _What the fuck was she on about?_

"Rachel, I thought your Dads took care of the rest?" Quinn asked in a measured voice from her place next to Brittany, who was looking very confused. When Rachel's Dads had found them this apartment, they had offered to pay the appliance bills to get them through college. It was way too generous of them, and she and Kurt had felt bad, but hey, they were loaded anyway.

"I know, I know!" Rachel cried, shaking her head back and forth in her hands. Her voice was shaky and she was probably about to cry.

"Hold on." Santana said sternly, causing Rachel to lift her head a little. "When the fuck did we get our _first _notice?" She was angry now. This could not be happening.

"A couple of months ago…" Rachel squeaked before wailing dramatically and burying her face in her hands again. _A couple of months ago? Was she serious?_

"And you didn't think to fucking tell us?" Santana's voice was now raised as she shot up from the sofa to tower above a distraught Rachel. "You have your fucking menstrual cycle pinned up on the fridge, but _this _you forget to mention?" Santana felt a hand on her arm and she whipped around to see Brittany standing next to her, blue eyes looking at hers and filled with concern.

"Santana, try to calm down." The blonde spoke softly. Santana wrenched her arm away, not noticing the look of hurt which appeared on Brittany's face.

"No I will not fucking calm down!" She hadn't meant to snap at Brittany, she wasn't pissed at her, but this whole situation was a fucking joke. She turned back to Rachel, who was now being comforted by Quinn. "I give money for rent every freaking month, and now I might get evicted because Hobbit here thought she would keep this bit of information to herself!" Rachel mumbled something into her hands, Quinn still rubbing her back.

"Santana, look. I agree this is difficult news, but I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation." Kurt said slowly, clearly trying hard to contain his own frustration. He glanced to Rachel. "Well?" She lifted her head from her hands and looked apologetically between her two roommates.

"I'm sorry, I- I should have told you I just-" She stammered between shaky breaths. "My Dads have been…having trouble- with the business. Th-they invested a lot of money somewhere and… lost it." Santana's eyes widened and she took an aggressive step forwards, before she was stopped by Brittany's firm hold around her shoulders. This time she didn't flinch, or tear herself away. Brittany's hands held firm around her and she let herself relax a little. Berry was definitely in the shit right now, but maybe it wasn't the best idea just to lunge at her. Although she was seriously tempted right now. Instead, she just folded her arms and glared at the brunette, waiting for her to continue.

"They said they would get it back – that it would only take a few weeks… Th-that's why I didn't say anything. I thought it would all be fine and…" Rachel trailed off with a sigh and Quinn continued to rub soothing circles on her back. Santana took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She flopped down onto the couch and smiled a little as Brittany sat down next to her. It helped to have her here. She most definitely would have attacked Rachel right now if she didn't feel Brittany's soothing presence beside her. She turned to the blonde and lowered her voice so that the others wouldn't hear.

"Sorry for snapping… I just-"

"Santana, it's fine." Brittany cut her off and smiled warmly. Santana felt herself relax a little more. She turned her attention back to the rest of the group and took a deep breath. "So," Santana began after an awkward silence, trying her best to keep her voice measured. "What do we do?" Rachel reached into her pocket and handed Quinn a folded piece of paper. Quinn took it and opened it up, her brow furrowing as she studied the writing.

"It says you guys have two weeks to come up with the money or… you'll get kicked out." _Fuck._ Rachel wailed again –_drama queen _– and Santana felt Brittany's hand return to her shoulder. Her insides warmed a little at the touch and helped her not to panic. _Okay, two weeks. _This wasn't so bad. Maybe she could ask her mum for some extra cash? No, probably not a good idea. She knew how tight on money they were back home, and her mum needed it to look after her little brother. Her muscles tightened as the thought crossed her mind that they probably wouldn't have that problem if her asshole of a dad had stuck around. Urgh, she would have to get a job. Santana hated the idea of working, and she'd tried to get a job when she'd first moved here but it's so damn hard to find good work in the city. And a boss that doesn't hit on you every five seconds during the interview. Maybe she could just rob a store or something? Puck would probably know some people…

"I'll talk to Izzy. See if I can get some paid hours at Vogue." Kurt mused as he plonked himself down on the other side of her with a sigh. "They always need people to bring them coffee and clean the bathrooms and stuff…" His face scrunched up at that thought, and Santana couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of Kurt bent over, cleaning a toilet.

"You and Rachel should probably find jobs too." Quinn said, turning to Santana who nodded reluctantly.

"Yeah, we'll help!" Brittany said enthusiastically and Santana gave her a warm smile.

"And Rach, who knows? If you boss your Funny Girl audition, you'll be rolling in the cash!" Quinn added as she nudged Rachel's arm. Santana was grateful for Quinn lightening the mood when Rachel rolled her eyes and smiled a little.

"Okay, let's end this pity party. It's extremely depressing." Santana announced, lifting herself up from the couch. She didn't particularly want to think about it anymore. It was now officially the weekend and she wanted to relax. The job hunt could wait till Monday. "It's Friday, and I needs me some wine." Brittany chuckled beside her. "Are you guys staying?" Santana asked Quinn and Brittany, but her eyes remained fixed on the blue eyes below her.

"I'll stay for a glass, but then I really should get going. Need to get started with things for tomorrow night!" Quinn said excitedly and patted Rachel on the shoulder, before jumping up and heading to the kitchen area to seek out some wine.

"Britt?" Santana asked, eyeing her friend who was biting on her lip and seemingly thinking hard about something.

"Actually, I kind of have to go." She replied after a few moments and looked up to Santana, before giggling at the Latina's pout. _She really wanted her to stay. _They hadn't had a chance to really talk about last night, or anything else for that matter, seeing as how Quinn decided to third wheel on their lunch date. She wanted to tell Brittany again how amazing it was, how she'd never felt like that with anyone else and how she wanted to do it all over again…

Santana blushed slightly as Brittany smirked and she realised she'd been staring at her lips. She glanced round to check the others hadn't seen before rolling her eyes and taking Brittany's hand to pull her up from the sofa.

"I'll walk you out." She said to Brittany, who grinned and followed Santana across the living room and out into the corridor. Closing the door behind them, Santana led Brittany around the corner – just in case her nosy friends decided to spy on them through the peep hole – and took Brittany's hands in her own. She looked down awkwardly for a moment, before lifting her gaze to look at her friend.

"Sorry for being a raging bitch just now… it's just I was so angry and-"

"Santana, it's okay, really. I know you didn't mean to snap. You were just annoyed with the situation, and you should be, it's awful. But you know it's going to be alright?" Santana smiled and nodded, because now she did.

"I missed you." Santana blurted out and immediately felt her cheeks heat up at her words. Brittany giggled and squeezed her hands.

"I've been with you all afternoon silly." Santana rolled her eyes and lifted one of Brittany's hands to place a soft kiss to it.

"I know. But I missed just being with _you._" She muttered quietly and Brittany seemingly understood, because she smiled softly. They grinned at each other for a few moments before Santana spoke again. "How come you have to go?" Brittany's grin widened and Santana was sure she noticed a mischievous glint in those blue eyes.

"I've had an idea… So I just need to go sort something out." Brittany said playfully and Santana pulled her in a little closer. Not too close though, she was well aware that the others were just inside the apartment.

"So I take it from that mischievous look on your face that you're not going to tell me what it is?" Brittany just grinned harder and shook her head.

"Nope." The blonde replied innocently, and it was all Santana could do not to push her against the wall and kiss her right then. Instead she chuckled and rolled her eyes again.

"Fine. But at least tell me you're going to be wearing a something totally sexy tomorrow night?" She leaned a little closer and smiled as she saw a tint of pink appear on Brittany's face.

"Maybe." She smiled shyly and interlaced their fingers together. Santana felt her breath catch a little. "Only if your costume is just as sexy." Santana's own cheeks heated up as she saw Brittany's smile turn to a smirk.

"Shit. I totally forgot I agreed to that." She replied through a grin and Brittany giggled. But seriously, how the hell was she supposed to find a costume by tomorrow?

"Well don't forget. Because mine is super sexy…" She paused as she removed one of her hands from Santana's and began tracing a finger slowly up her arm. Santana felt her whole body heat up from the touch. _Fuck, she loved it when she did that. _"…and short…" Brittany continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "…and _really_ tight." Santana gulped. Like, audibly gulped, and Brittany smirked before placing a quick kiss on Santana's flushed cheek and turning swiftly towards the elevator. "See you tomorrow." She said with a wink, before disappearing into the lift, leaving a very flustered Santana in the corridor.

_Oh, tomorrow was going to be awesome._

**…**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys! Sorry for the little wait, I've been ill this week :( sad times. Still lost my voice but I can write so all good! Really hope you like this chapter. There's a lot of development of Santana's feelings for Brittany, so keep an eye out for her subtle and not so subtle confessions!**

**Also, I'm pretty sure everyone will know what I'm getting at with Brittany's Halloween costume, but if not, check out Heather's live performances of Slave 4 U, and I'm sure you'll see why Santana is so flustered! **

**Enjoy, and I'm really interested to hear what you think of this chapter. The next one will involve some more fun at the party , but I didn't want to cram too much into this one. x**

**…**

Chapter 16:

"Oh, _hell_ no!" Santana yelled, a horrified expression on her face as her two roommates appeared in the living room. "No. Just, no. Absolutely not. I refuse to leave the house with you two looking like that!" Santana wondered how the hell she ever ended up living with these clinically insane people as she stared incredulously at Rachel and Kurt, who were making their way towards the sofa where she was sitting. Her eyes widened as she took in the full, horrifying force of their Halloween costumes. Rachel was wearing a full length, shimmery gold gown, with ornate Aztec detailing and blue chiffon material draped over her arms and attached to her wrists, as well as a ridiculously oversized gold headdress. Kurt's costume was perhaps even more terrifying, if that was possible. For a start, he was wearing sandals – yes _sandals _– which had criss-cross straps running all the way up to his knees, a strange brown skirt type thing – any opportunity for Lady Hummel – and most alarmingly, his torso was almost bare, aside from a red cloak covering his upper chest and falling behind him over his shoulders. She had to stifle a laugh as she noticed that he was even carrying a plastic sword and shield. _Dear lord. _"What in god's name are you even meant to be?"

"We're Antony and Cleopatra." Kurt stated proudly as the pair stood in front of Santana on the sofa, showing off their costumes and striking ridiculous poses.

"Obviously." Rachel added with a patronising tone. Santana just stared at them blankly. "Hello, Antony and Cleopatra?" She repeated with an exasperated sigh as she noticed her roommate's dumfounded expression. "The couple from one of the most beautifully tragic plays ever written, by possibly _the _most influential playwright in English history? William Shakespeare?" Santana glanced back and forth between these two completely over the top costumes, not quite sure how to respond. On the one hand she wanted to laugh out loud, because they just looked so damn ridiculous, but on the other hand she felt hugely embarrassed just to be within a few metres of them. "Oh come on, Santana! Cleopatra is one of the most complex, iconic female roles in history! At least we put a little effort into _our _costumes." Rachel added with a scoff as she turned to the mirror and began inspecting her elaborate makeup.

"I know who they are, dummies." _Well, sort of._ "I'm just trying to figure out what kind of party you think we're going to. You know it's only at Quinn's apartment right? Last year Puck wore nothing but boxers and claimed he was 'a tasty snack'." Santana chuckled and shook her head as Kurt looked down a little self-consciously at his get-up. "And hey!" She added, slightly offended as she realised Rachel had insulted her own costume. "I look totally hot." Santana stood up and nudged Rachel out the way to admire her outfit in the mirror. Sure, she hadn't spent much time on it – give her a break, she'd only found out she needed a costume yesterday – but she was pretty fucking happy with it.

After saying goodbye to Brittany and Quinn yesterday, she'd rushed to her room and had begun frantically searching her drawers for anything she could wear. After almost giving up and settling on the dress she'd recently bought and telling Quinn to go to hell, she'd stumbled across her old cheerleading uniform in the bottom drawer of her dresser. _Perfect._ She had grown a little in the few years since she'd worn it, so she was pleased to find it was even a little tighter and shorter than before. She'd put on white tennis shoes and tied her hair back into a high ponytail with a scrunchie, just like she used to do in high school. And right now she looked just as hot as she did back then, maybe even more so. Her red and white top hugged her breasts and was a little shorter than it used to be, exposing some of her toned stomach. The matching skirt was especially tiny, showing off her tanned legs and because of the pleats, every now and then you'd get a glimpse of her black panties when she walked. She hadn't bothered with her red spankies that she used to have to wear under her uniform – after hearing Brittany describe her own costume yesterday, Santana wanted to drive her crazy tonight.

They hadn't had much _alone _time since their incredible night on Thursday – aside from their seriously hot make-out session in the studio yesterday, but that didn't really count because they got interrupted. But anyway, Santana was seriously craving her. She was craving her lips, and her skin, and the way their naked bodies had felt pressed up against each other. But most of all, she was longing for the intimacy they'd experienced the other night; it was so hot and beautiful and romantic all at the same time, that Santana wanted to feel it again and again. And again…

Well, if she could drive Brittany wild tonight just like she'd driven most of the guys in high school wild with this outfit, she shouldn't have to wait much longer. Ugh, just the thought of it was making her-

"Lord, I feel like I've stepped into a time machine." Kurt broke Santana from her delicious daydream and she turned to see him eyeing her cheerleading uniform with a smirk. It did feel kind of weird wearing it again. It felt like a million years ago since she'd strutted down the halls of Mckinley High with Quinn and probably a few other cheerleaders closely in tow. She'd owned that place. It wasn't even that long ago, so why did she feel so different wearing this uniform now?

"Yes, well. I for one don't like the idea of stepping back in time." Rachel huffed as she adjusted her ridiculous Egyptian headdress. "You were horrible to us in high school." Santana rolled her eyes.

"Oh don't be dramatic, Berry. I wasn't that bad." Rachel snorted and gave her roommate a look as if to say _Are you kidding?_

"On the first day we met in glee club, you told me I belong in the zoo, preferably in a cage where my _enormous beak _couldn't harm any of the other animals." Santana felt a little bad, but couldn't help her tiny smug smile. One of her better insults.

"Oh, come on. That was like a gazillion years ago. I like to think I've changed at least a little since then." She nudged Rachel's arm playfully whose face softened into a reluctant smile.

"That is true." Kurt added with a grin. "I mean, who'd have thought that all these years later, us three of all people would be the best of friends?" He flung his arm around Santana's shoulder and squeezed it.

"Alright, let's not get carried away." She said, attempting but failing to squirm out of Kurt's grasp as she saw Rachel step towards them with a terrifyingly large smile. _Oh god. She knew that look. Please no group hug, please no group hug._

"No, he's right!" Rachel chimed in, her grin growing wider. "I never, in a million years, thought I'd end up living with Santana Lopez of all people, in the greatest city in the world, following my dreams with someone I can now truly call one of my closest friends" _Oh dear god. _"And you really have changed since the days you used to shove me into dumpsters and throw slushies in my face. You've been so different, especially recently." She winked knowingly at Santana, whose face reddened a little. "We're… really proud of you, Santana. We love you." She said sweetly and flung her arms around Santana, who groaned internally. _Seriously, why with the group hug?_

"We really do." Kurt beamed at her, seemingly enjoying watching her discomfort as the three of them hugged in awkward silence for a few moments. Well, Kurt and Rachel hugged, Santana more just stood rigid, crushed by the tight embrace and longing for this moment to be over.

"Alright _fine. _I love you guys too." Santana said hastily, very keen to for this to end. Right now. "But can we quit with the sappiness and go now? We're going to be late, and this conversation is making me dry heave." Santana wriggled out of the hug and grabbed her phone before striding over to the door. She tried her best to hide her smile, but, however much she hated to admit it, it was kind of nice hearing them say those things. Although they knew all the ways to piss her off, and were completely ridiculous human beings 95% of the time, they had grown extremely close over the past couple of years.

"Cleopatra?" Kurt said in a dramatic tone and held his arm out for Rachel.

"Why thank you, my love." She replied in an equally theatrical voice as she linked her arm through his and allowed him to lead her towards the front door.

_Jesus Christ, bring on the alcohol._

**…**

When Santana arrived, the party was already in full swing. She opened the door to Quinn and Brittany's apartment and stepped into their living room, having ordered Rachel and Kurt to wait in the car for five minutes before coming up. There was no way she was going to be seen arriving at a party with those two muppets dressed like that.

Santana grinned as she scanned the room, music pumping from the speakers and people chatting and drinking happily. Quinn may be a tight ass a lot of the time, but she sure knew how to throw a party. There were already loads of people there, some she didn't recognise, probably Quinn's NYU friends, and some other familiar faces. She had spotted Chang 1 and Chang 2 in full on make-out session on a sofa, Puck was hitting on some slutty-looking girl dressed as a nurse over in the corner, and there were a few other people she knew from her classes. Making her way over to the kitchen, where she would probably find Quinn, and hopefully a certain other blonde, she tried to avoid making eye-contact with anyone who might start up a boring conversation with her – she freaking hated small talk.

Entering the kitchen, she smiled as she saw Quinn mixing some drinks, but her smile instantly faded when she saw that Brittany wasn't there. She nodded at couple of guys she recognised as people Puck worked with, who were standing around the island taking shots, and walked up behind Quinn.

"Please make whatever that is strong. Rachel and Kurt's outfits look like someone threw up on them." Quinn turned around and grinned at her as she handed her friend a drink.

"Nothing's changed since last year then." She replied with a smirk, taking a sip of her own drink.

"Clearly. I see you decided to come as a stripper again." Santana joked as she eyed Quinn's outfit. She was wearing heels, black spandex leggings, a tiny black top and a police hat, which was placed at a jaunty angle on top of her blonde hair. _See, Halloween was totally just an excuse to dress like a slut._

"Actually, I'm a policewoman." Quinn corrected with a wink, pointing to a plastic badge pinned to her chest. Santana shook her head and chuckled. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure you're the one that's come as a stripper." She added through a sly smile as she eyed the Latina's cheer uniform.

"Um, no." Santana said with a confused frown. "I'm me in high school."

"Precisely." Quinn replied simply and Santana shot her a mock glare. _Hilarious. _"So does this mean that badass high school Santana is back tonight then?" Santana glanced back down at her cheer uniform and rolled her eyes.

"I'm still badass Q." She said defensively and took a gulp of her much needed drink. _Wow, definitely strong._

"Oh, of course you are, sweetie. You certainly haven't turned soft or anything." The blonde replied sarcastically. "Speaking of which, Brittany's just finishing getting ready in her room. She said to go and find her when you get here 'cause she has something to show you?" _Something to show her? _Santana felt her heart beating a little faster just at the mention of Brittany's name. _How was that even possible?_

"I, uh- what does she want to show me?" Santana's curiosity got the better of her and she mentally slapped herself for sounding so nervous.

"I have no idea. I've never been able to tell what's going on in that head of hers – that was always your job." Santana couldn't help but smile a little at hearing that. When they were younger, she'd prided herself on the fact that she seemed to be the only one that got Brittany's weird and wonderful way of thinking. "She's been giddy with excitement all day though, so I'd go and find out if I were you." Santana nodded, desperately trying to hide her eagerness, and grabbed another drink from the counter before spinning on her heels and heading back out into the party. She was immediately hit with the thumping music again as she re-entered the living room to find it even more crowded than before. More people were dancing now, she could see some guys drinking and smoking on the balcony, and she quickly averted her gaze when she saw Kurt and Rachel over by the door. She shot a quick glare at Puck, who had noticed her outfit and was wolf whistling, before escaping into the corridor.

Her heart began to really hammer in her chest as she approached Brittany's bedroom, the two drinks still in her hands. She'd only been inside Brittany's room once – well, she'd been in there when it still belonged to Tina, but that was different – and she couldn't help but smile at the memory. It was the first time she'd properly opened up to Brittany about her feelings, about how jealous she'd been seeing her with Sam, and most of all it was the first time she'd kissed her when they hadn't been drinking. And she remembered how amazing it had felt to do that, how completely right it had been, and that thought alone made her push the door to Brittany's room open without realising she'd even reached it. When she stepped into the baby blue room after closing the door behind her, she very nearly dropped the drinks she was holding.

_Holy fucking shit. _

Brittany spun round from her place by the mirror, a little startled at first, but then her face softened into a large smile when she saw who it was that had entered her room. Presumably noticing the size of Santana's bulging eyes, or the drool that was quite probably escaping from her mouth, the smile quickly turned into a knowing smirk. She felt her stomach twinge as Brittany's eyes darkened a little, and Santana took an unconscious step closer.

"Hey, you." Brittany said affectionately as Santana took another step towards her, not knowing quite how her legs were even working right now.

"Wow." She whispered breathlessly. It wasn't exactly the reply she'd been intending on, but she couldn't care less right now because Brittany. Looked. _Amazing._

Santana let her eyes trail shamelessly over Brittany's outfit – if you could even call it that because there was so little material involved. She was wearing the tiniest blue shorts Santana had ever seen, which had long feathers and more blue material draping from the sides. There was so much leg on show that it was impossible for Santana to think about anything else aside from the sudden throbbing between her own. And she hadn't even got started on the rest of the outfit yet. Santana dragged her eyes upwards and almost stopped breathing entirely when she saw how much of Brittany's toned stomach was on show. She was practically just wearing a bra. It was a green colour with two long pieces of matching, floaty fabric draping from the front, and it pushed her breasts up deliciously. Santana let her gaze linger on the body jewels surrounding her belly button for a moment, before looking up to see slightly wavy blonde hair, partly clipped back from her face and falling gently over her shoulders. _Just… wow._

"Brittany…" Santana breathed adoringly as she looked up into beautiful blue eyes now that the two girls were closer together.

"Yes, Britney Spears!" _Huh? _Santana snapped out of her little daze to see the blonde grinning excitedly. She looked down at Brittany's outfit again to see what she was talking about, only to immediately regret that decision because a wave of heat instantly rushed through her and the throbbing between her legs fired up again. "VMAs 2001. Slave 4 u." Brittany announced proudly and Santana snapped her eyes back upwards. _Oh, Britney Spears!_

"Are you seriously trying to give me a heart attack?" Santana asked and Brittany giggled as she fiddled with the green material of her shirt - the word _shirt _being used extremely lightly here. "You look… beautiful." She could have gone for any number of words right then – hot, sexy_, fucking arousing – _but beautiful just came out, and she was pretty chuffed with her choice when she saw the soft, genuine smile break out across Brittany's lips. _God, those lips._

"I did warn you." Brittany said playfully as Santana handed her a drink, stepping even closer. The blonde smiled and took a sip.

"Well what you didn't warn me about was the fact that you're practically in your underwear right now." Santana responded, not quite prepared for how husky her voice had become. She smirked as she watched the pink appear on Brittany's face. She had no control over her hand which slowly began moving towards Brittany's exposed torso. Brittany kept her eyes trained on her as Santana's fingers reached her bare stomach, and she inhaled sharply as she watched the muscles quiver in that familiar way under her touch. _Oh god. _Brittany continued to watch her intently, her breathing a little heavier now, as Santana stroked over her exposed skin, ever so slowly outlining the contours of her abs and lingering over the silver body jewels around her belly button. Santana closed her eyes and enjoyed the fact that she was _allowed_ to do this. She was actually allowed to touch Brittany and to kiss her and to tell her how beautiful she looked.

"Santana." Brittany breathed in such a sexy way that Santana had to force her eyes open to look at her. Blue eyes were fixed on her own, and staring at her with so much emotion and affection, that Santana thought she might just pass out. Brittany took another step closer, so that the palm of Santana's hand was now pressed flat against her stomach. _Holy shit. _"You know I have a thing for cheerleaders?" Santana had almost forgotten she was wearing a costume herself – she'd been a little distracted to say the least– and glanced down shyly at her own outfit. "You look seriously hot, you know that?" This time it was her cheeks that turned pink as she looked up to see Brittany smiling adoringly at her. She was about to reply when all the breath got caught at the back of her throat. Brittany's hands had found their way to the outside of Santana's thighs and she suddenly couldn't breathe. She just stared up into blue eyes as those hands inched further upwards. Santana's stomach clenched when Brittany's hands lifted underneath the pleats of her skirt and stilled. She heard Brittany's sharp intake of breath as she clearly noticed that she was only wearing panties. "Are you trying to give _me _a heart attack?" Brittany asked breathlessly and now it was Santana's turn to giggle.

She leaned up on her tip-toes – Brittany was wearing heels and was even taller than she usually was compared to the Latina – and finally captured Brittany's lips in her own. Both girls hummed happily and Santana relished the delicious tingles covering her body. Their lips moved slowly but firmly against each other's and Brittany tightened her grip on Santana's bare thighs. Santana couldn't help the disappointed whine when Brittany pulled away after what felt like not nearly enough time. She opened her eyes to see Brittany smiling apologetically before taking Santana's hand in her own and squeezing gently.

"As much as I would love to stay here and kiss you right now, and I mean, _god_ you have no idea." Brittany grinned widely and Santana giggled because she was pretty sure she _did _have an idea. "I think I should probably make an appearance to my own party. And besides, I have something super exciting to show you." Brittany grinned some more and Santana quirked an eyebrow.

"Was this not what you wanted to show me?" Santana asked, dropping her eyes down the blonde's body, her hands fiddling with the green material hanging from her top. Brittany blushed and rolled her eyes before leading Santana by the hand towards her desk.

"No silly. Well, yes, obviously, but- no, I mean- argh you're getting me flustered!" Brittany stammered as she tried to hide the tint of pink spreading further across her cheeks. _Adorable._

"Sorry, it's the uniform. Works every time." Santana replied with a smirk, not sorry at all. Brittany laughed and shook her head as she let go of Santana's hand to rifle through the things on her cluttered desk.

"Yeah, I think it has magic powers or something… Ah ha! Here we go!" She swivelled back to face Santana, clutching a piece of paper and an enormous grin on her face. Santana eyed her curiously, wondering what she could be up to as she handed her the sheet of paper.

"What is this, Britt?" She asked, unable to fight the matching grin at her lips; Brittany's smile was just so goddamn infectious.

"You've got a job!" _Wait, what?_ Santana just stared at her for a second, eyes wide, trying to work out what on earth she was on about, before glancing down to the document in her hand. It looked like some sort of contract. She lifted her gaze back to Brittany, who was still beaming and clasping her hands together in anticipation. How on earth could she have a job? She hadn't been to any interviews. Unless she'd started sleepwalking again… Or maybe she'd got drunk sometime between today and yesterday and hadn't remembered going? Okay, completely ridiculous suggestion. _What the hell?_

"Britt, you lost me." Brittany giggled and grabbed Santana's hand again.

"Okay, so you know how yesterday I said I had an idea, and that I had to go do something?" She started excitedly.

"Yeah…"

"Well, see I had this thought, because I'd heard Puck saying the other day how he needed more waitresses at Lola's 'cause three of them just quit – something about sexual harassment complaints, whatever that means – but anyway, I didn't really think anything of it. And then when the whole thing happened yesterday I suddenly thought why don't you work there?" Santana was staring up at her, a stupid grin making its way across her face, as Brittany's voice got faster and faster the more excited she got. "So I spoke to Puck and he was super happy about hiring you, and you go there all the time anyway so it's kinda perfect, and you'd waitress – I know that's not the most exciting job in the whole wide world, but Puck said he might be looking for entertainment and I know you can sing so-"

"Britt, slow down!" Santana laughed and squeezed her hand. "Just slow down a second. You did this for me?" She asked in a quiet voice, her grin now of epic proportions.

"Yes." Brittany replied matter-of-factly through a satisfied smile. Santana thought her heart might explode from just how happy she felt right now. Brittany had really done this for her? She knew how important it was that she got a job, and she could probably tell how much she loathed the idea of trying to find one, so she'd come up with this idea all by herself and gone to ask Puck about it? Santana didn't know what to say. No one had ever helped her like this before. No one had ever wanted to. She was so happy right now and just… _Brittany._

She chucked the piece of paper back onto the desk and before Brittany could look confused, Santana wrapped her hand around her neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss. She felt Brittany smile against her lips as hands wrapped around her waist. They melted into each other and enjoyed the long, soft kiss until Santana pulled away after a few minutes, only to pull Brittany into a tight hug.

"Thank you." She whispered into the crook of Brittany's neck as arms pulled her in even closer. She didn't think she'd ever meant those two words more. They eventually broke apart and Santana couldn't help the adoring way she was now looking up at Brittany. "I mean it, Britt. No one's ever done anything like this for me before." Brittany smiled one of the largest smiles Santana had ever seen and placed another quick peck on her lips.

"You deserve it." She said sweetly and Santana's heart did that fluttery thing. "Now, come on. This drink is super tasty and I want another one!" Santana grinned and let Brittany pull her towards the door. "Wait!" She jumped as the blonde squealed and rushed back over to her bed. She watched as Brittany dug around the many fluffy pillows and eventually pulled out a long, yellow cuddly snake toy, and draped it over her neck. "Now, I look like Britney spears." She announced proudly and Santana couldn't help but kiss her once more when she came back over.

"I'm just gonna warn you," Santana whispered in a sultry voice as she leaned in close to Brittany. "There's no way I'm going to be able to keep my hands off you tonight, Britt." She heard Brittany gulp audibly, before Santana turned on her heels and made her way out into the corridor with an enormous grin on her face.

_Halloween is the best._

**…**

_Okay, get it together Lopez. You're better than this. You are twenty-one years of age, for Christ's sake. You are a mature adult, and no longer a love-struck, horny teenager… oh god, don't say horny. _

Santana was giving herself this pep-talk as she was staring, wait no, just casually _looking _at Brittany, who was on her tip-toes, trying to reach one of the kitchen cupboards. Santana felt her stomach dip delightfully and couldn't seem to look away as Brittany's obscenely short shorts rode up even further as she stretched to grab a bottle of vodka. _Okay, so maybe there was a bit of staring going on._

Santana knew she was leering. She knew she should look away right about now because she was being painfully obvious and they weren't the only ones in the kitchen. So, with all the strength and willpower she could find, she tore her eyes away from Brittany's ass and down to her own drink. She knocked the rest of it back, figuring she was going to need it if Brittany was going to be teasing her in that outfit all night. The drink was strong, and Santana grimaced a little as the burning liquid hit her throat, but it made her feel good, and it was just what she needed. Before she could ask for a refill, Brittany spun round and poured some vodka into her cup with cheeky grin, before topping it up with cranberry juice.

"Thanks." Santana said sweetly and took a sip of her new drink._ Yum._

"I'll have one of those dri- _wow_. Brittany, you look…" Quinn walked into the kitchen but stopped in her tracks beside Santana as she noticed Brittany's costume. Brittany smiled shyly as she poured the other blonde a drink, and Santana's whole body stiffened at the way Quinn was now gawking at her. Okay, so Brittany looked totally hot and she'd been leering too just a moment ago so Santana could hardly blame her, but still it was only okay when she did it, right? "Britney Spears?" Quinn enquired, quirking a perfectly sculpted eyebrow and Brittany nodded, pleased.

"You got it. It's Britney Bitch." She responded with a wink and Santana grinned hard, forgetting any jealous thoughts. That was until she heard an all too familiar wolf-whistle behind her.

"Well, fuck, blondie! Looking good." Santana whipped around to see Puck, beer in hand, staring with absolutely no shame whatsoever at Brittany's outfit. _Or lack thereof_. She heard Brittany giggle and watched Puck lick his lips which proceeded to curve into a devilish smile. _Oh hell no._

"Thanks. I'm meant to be Britney Spears." Brittany replied lightly and took a gulp of her pink drink.

"Well you can definitely hit me baby one more time." He drawled around a smirk and Santana's stomach clenched again, not in the good way.

"Fuckerman. Do us all a favour, stop eye-raping Britt-Britt and get back to your slutty nurse. And please ask her if she has any cures for being a total asshole." Her friend chuckled before heading over and grabbing another beer from the fridge.

"Calm your tits, Lopez, I'm just telling it how it is. The possessive thing's hot on you though." He added with a wink and Santana nearly choked on her drink. _Fucking hell_. Way to be about as subtle as a steam train, Puckerman. She glanced nervously to Quinn who was eyeing Puck curiously, and then to Brittany, who was looking back at her with a satisfied smirk._ Oh god. _She glared at Puck who just shrugged innocently before heading back into the living room.

"Gimme one of those." Santana motioned towards a few shots that had been lined up on the island by a couple dorky looking guys – presumably some losers from Quinn's class. The nerdy looking duo gawped back at her as if this was the first time any girl had ever spoken to them. Santana stared pointedly at them for a second, but when she realised they were too concerned with staring at her boobs to answer, she rolled her eyes and snatched one of the shot glasses, knocking it back quickly. She scrunched up her face in disgust when she felt the sour taste of Sambuca hit the back of her throat. Santana _hated _Sambuca. She closed her eyes and pinched her lips together to keep the liquid down, before eventually swallowing thickly and coughing a little. "Ugh, who the hell drinks Sambuca?" She asked through a splutter to no one in particular and heard Quinn chuckle. "Let's do a shot of something that _doesn't_ make me wanna hurl, and then let's go dance." Santana suggested to her friends, who nodded eagerly in response. Really, she was just addressing Brittany, because she could imagine nothing she wanted to see more right now than Brittany dancing in _that _outfit. Santana felt slightly overwhelmed right now. She was so incredibly turned on; there was so much of Brittany on show that it was kind of impossible not to be, but she was also filled with so much affection for her. She still couldn't believe that she'd got that job for her. Brittany cared about her that much, to want to help her and do something that amazing for her. For _her. _When did Santana get so freaking lucky? Brittany was so incredible, and kind, and beautiful and-

"Santana?" Quinn interrupted her thoughts and Santana whipped her gaze up to see a shot glass being thrust towards her and two blondes looking back at her with highly amused expressions. "Shots?"

**…**

"You look so hot tonight." Santana whispered as she leant in close to Brittany and tightened her grip on her hips. The tall blonde hummed and swayed her hips a little more to the pounding music filling the apartment. Santana didn't really care right now that she and Brittany were practically grinding into each other in the middle of Quinn's living room; firstly, because she had no idea where Quinn had disappeared off to after doing the shots, Kurt was nowhere to be seen either, and Rachel already knew about her and Brittany. And secondly, because Brittany looked so damn sexy right now, it would almost be rude _not _to grind up against her. _Well, kind of. _Besides, she sure as hell wasn't going to let anyone else do it. It was like being in a war zone tonight with Brittany dressed like this; just like a soldier having to keep a look out for the enemy, Santana was constantly having to defend Brittany from pathetic, horny-looking guys drooling over her. Not that Brittany had asked to be defended or anything, but Santana figured it was kind of, you know, her duty or… whatever.

"I really wish I went to high school with you. If that's what you wore everyday…" Brittany breathed seductively and pulled Santana closer. A tingle shot through her body and Santana slid her arm to loop around Brittany's bare waist. _Holy shit. _It was like every couple of minutes Santana would forget that Brittany was wearing such a breath-taking outfit, only to suddenly be reminded again and have her heart stop beating entirely. She was sure it wasn't good for her health.

Santana was beginning to feel the delicious effects of the drinks she'd had as she continued to move with Brittany to the beats of Rihanna's _We Found Love_. She could feel the alcohol pulsing through her veins and her head buzzing wonderfully. A wave of pleasure jolted through her as Brittany's hips jerked into her along with the music. _God._

"We so would have got it on in high school." Santana rasped and she felt Brittany grip her shoulder tighter. She slid the hand not holding her drink from its place on the small of Brittany's back, around to her stomach, and smirked when she felt the blonde grind into her again. Santana glanced around her, aware of how much more intimate their dancing had suddenly become. The living room was now full with people dancing; various couples were grinding up on each other, groups of friends were dancing and laughing hysterically and some others were sprawled across the sofas pushed to the outside of the room. She cringed as she caught eye-contact with Rachel, who was grinning widely and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at her and Brittany. The brunette was on one of the sofas, rather awkwardly wedged between two frantically making-out couples, eating a bowl of what looked like… fruit? Who the hell eats a bowl of fruit at a party? _Jesus_. Santana suddenly found herself staring – in a non-creepy way – at the couples practically getting at it on the couches. She felt… envious.

"I really want to kiss you right now." Santana whispered into Brittany's ear before the thought had even formed properly in her mind. She really _did _want to kiss her. She wanted to do more than kiss her, but more than anything she just wanted to feel the familiar comfort of those soft lips against her own. She hated the fact that she could see all these couples around her practically dry humping in front of everyone, and she couldn't even so much as kiss Brittany right now. She felt the blonde's movements still and the hand on her shoulder loosen its grip. Santana looked up to see Brittany staring down at her affectionately, a genuine smile on her lips.

"Come with me." Brittany ordered softly around her smile before grabbing Santana's free hand and turning on her heels. Santana allowed Brittany to lead her through the clusters of people dancing, feeling kind of giddy at how safe she felt with Brittany's hand wrapped tightly around her own, kind of like she belonged to her. They pushed past a few more people, before Brittany opened the door to the fire escape and tugged them outside onto the small balcony. Santana shivered when the cool night air instantly hit them as they stepped out into the darkness, but she was kind of relieved to be away from the pounding bass and the heat of the party. No one was out here smoking, so it was just the two of them, and kind of peaceful.

Brittany tugged on her hand, lifting Santana's gaze to look at her and the blonde grinned.

"You can kiss me now." Brittany prompted quietly, almost shyly, and Santana couldn't help but match her wide smile. It was dark outside, but the glow from the streetlights illuminated Brittany's face so beautifully and lit up her blue eyes so brightly, that Santana just stood and stared for a moment, taking in the overwhelming feeling of admiration she suddenly felt. Brittany was beautiful, so perfect just then. It was bewildering and confusing to Santana how Brittany of all people would allow her to kiss her, to hold her hand, even just to be around her. She just felt really, _really_ lucky. "What?" Brittany asked in an amused tone as she caught onto Santana's staring, a light blush creeping across her pale cheeks.

"Nothing, I just… You're kinda perfect right now." Maybe it was the alcohol that was making Santana blurt out whatever she was thinking, or maybe it was just the effect that Brittany was having on her, but she didn't really care. She felt like Brittany deserved to know just how incredible she was in her eyes. Santana watched as the blush deepened on Brittany's face and a shy smile made its way across her lips.

"You're a dork." Brittany responded around her bashful smile, tugging on Santana's hand and pulling her further towards her.

"You're beautiful." Brittany smiled wider at her friend's goofiness and rolled her eyes as Santana stepped even closer. "Aaand also kind of a dork." Santana added playfully before setting her drink down on the railing and lifting both hands to cup Brittany's cheeks. Santana was the perfect amount of drunk. Not so drunk that she felt out of control or couldn't think straight, but just the right side of tipsy. The kind of drunk that made her feel amazing, and peaceful and just so… _happy. _As she stood, hands gently placed on Brittany's cheeks, which were slightly pink from the night air, or perhaps the intimacy of this situation, looking up into bright blue eyes, Santana felt the sudden need to be around Brittany more. Which was kind of strange considering she was around her right now. But she just felt like she couldn't get enough; she wanted to be with her all the time. It made her feel a little nervous.

The nerves soon disappeared though because now Brittany was closing the distance between them. Santana sighed happily as she felt Brittany's lips claim her own. The familiar kiss was soft and delicate, a strange contrast to the muffled music they could still hear thumping from inside the apartment and the occasional cheers or shrieks of laughter. But it was kind of perfect right now, outside in the calm night air, away from all the chaos of the party, just them. Santana heard Brittany hum quietly, before wrapping her arms tighter around the Latina's waist and pulling her in, deepening the kiss. It still wasn't rushed though; even as she felt Brittany's tongue brush along her bottom lip before pushing past and finding her own, the kiss was still soft and slow. Even though Santana could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her stomach twisting and turning with something she could only describe as butterflies, she didn't feel the need for things to go faster. She just wanted to stay there, in this moment, kissing Brittany like this for as long as she would let her.

Santana's hands moved from cupping Brittany's face to wrap around her neck as their tongues brushed smoothly against each other's. She took Brittany's bottom lip in her own and sucked gently before pulling back and placing one soft peck against her lips. Santana moved to rest her head on Brittany's shoulder, nuzzling into the crook of her neck and smiling as Brittany's arms tightened around her in the hug.

"I love this." Santana whispered softly into Brittany's ear and the little hum that escaped the blonde's lips in response was enough to start up those butterflies again. It was weird, now Santana thought about it. A few months ago, there was no way she would be having fun at a party unless she was right at the centre of the action, drinking herself numb and trying to spot someone equally as wasted who she could go home with. But here she was, completely away from the party, only a little tipsy, and not wanting to move from this spot, ever. She didn't care about anything going on in there, the only thing on her mind right now was Brittany. This amazing girl, her best friend, who had come back into her life and turned her whole world upside down. Or, come to think of it, maybe she'd flipped it the right way round again… All she knew, is that she felt incredible every moment she spent with her, and hated those that she didn't. And yet she couldn't even share that with her friends. _Why couldn't she again?_

"Santana?" Her stomach rolled at the sound of Brittany's soft voice and she hummed in reply, placing a soft kiss to the spot just under her jaw and then lifting her head to look into those eyes. Brittany's hands stayed at the small of her back as she searched Santana's features, maybe trying to read her thoughts. After all, they were all about her. "What did you mean when you said that to Quinn?" She paused for a moment. "You know, about not… doing feelings?" Her voice was so quiet, but instead of looking down shyly, Brittany's gaze remained firmly fixed on Santana; it wasn't challenging, just almost… encouraging, like she knew the answer already and just wanted to hear her say it. Santana had to admit, although the question came slightly out of nowhere, she wasn't entirely surprised somehow, perhaps because of what she had just been thinking about, so she chuckled happily in response. She could tell Brittany wasn't expecting this reaction when she watched the confused smile curve its way across Brittany's lips.

"Well," Santana began, taking Brittany's hands from around her waist and holding them in her own. "I used to feel that way… I mean, since you moved and my dad left, I guess I kind of forced myself not to feel anything… for anyone. I didn't let myself, you know?" The look on Brittany's face, the way her eyes were so soft and so bright even though it was dark, made Santana feel safe, safer than she could ever remember feeling, which was weird considering how intimate this conversation was. "It was just easier to keep a comfortable distance from everyone. And I always thought that was because those things that happened… broke me somehow. But now I get it." Santana wasn't sure why she was smiling so hard. Usually, whenever she spoke about back then, she got all bitter and closed off, but right now, looking up at Brittany, probably with a goofy, lopsided grin on her face, everything just seemed to click.

"Yeah?" Brittany asked tentatively around a slightly unsure smile and a furrowed brow. Santana nodded and squeezed her hands reassuringly.

"Yeah. It wasn't that I couldn't feel anything anymore, it wasn't that I stopped believing in those feelings, or that I felt Ididn't deserve to feel them. I think it was just that I was… waiting for you." Santana let out a breath because she had finally got out what she had wanted to say for so long, without even knowing it. What she hadn't realised, was that all this time she had been waiting for Brittany to come back into her life, and to make it mean something again.

"Santana…" Brittany breathed as her face softened into a shy smile. Her voice was quiet and kind of airy, as if she was utterly surprised by this sudden confession, but on the other hand like she had been waiting to hear those words forever. "I think I was waiting for you too." She finally said around a grin, just above a whisper, as if it was their little secret, words only for Santana to hear.

"Yeah?" Santana asked, her smile now of epic proportions as she interlinked their fingers together.

"Yeah." Brittany breathed and squeezed their joined hands. Santana's head felt dizzy with the delicious combination of just the right amount of alcohol and the incredible blue eyes she was now lost in.

They stayed there for what felt like hours, just inches apart, losing themselves in each other's gaze, and every now and then stroking a thumb over the back of a hand, or bringing a palm up to press against soft lips. In reality it was only a few minutes, but when the door to the balcony opened, neither of them heard it. It was only when someone awkwardly cleared their throat behind them that the two girls turned around to see Kurt stood in the doorway, still clutching his plastic sword and shield, eyeing their joined hands. Not in a judging way, or disapprovingly, just _curiously. _Maybe it was that look which made Santana not pull away or attempt to cover up the situation, or maybe it was simply the alcohol slowing her reactions, but whatever it was, rather than panic, she felt entirely calm, and even tightened her grip on Brittany's hands.

"Hey." Santana broke the silence, offering Kurt a reassuring smile. He immediately tore his gaze away from their hands and glanced quickly back into the apartment, as if deciding whether he should stay or not, and then back at Santana.

"I uh, h-hey ladies." Kurt stuttered, still awkwardly standing half inside and half out. "Sorry, just for a second there it kind of looked like… like you guys were…" Santana wasn't sure what had changed, why this was so different from when Rachel had walked in on the two of them together. Again, it might have been the alcohol, but Santana didn't think that was it. Maybe it was because they weren't in such a compromising position this time and she felt a little more in control, or maybe it was because of how much had changed since then, even since stepping out onto this tiny balcony. But whatever the reason was, Santana didn't feel the panicked need to defend herself, or to correct him. She kind of _wanted _him to know.

"Yeah." The word just sort of tumbled out in simple confirmation. She watched as Kurt's eyebrows lifted, and she felt Brittany's hands tighten their grip around her own. Kurt opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, a giggling Rachel appeared behind him, still clutching her bowl of fruit. _Seriously, what was with that?_

"Antony! There you are my love! You _have_ to try some- Oh, hey Santana. Brittany." Rachel's wide smile dropped in almost comic realisation as she glanced dramatically slowly between Kurt, Santana, Brittany and the girls' intertwined fingers. "Oh, um… uh…" She began to stammer nervously as she took in the situation unfolding in front of her, clearly trying desperately to find a solution. "Kurt, I need to… uh, show you something. Come back inside please." Santana couldn't help the little laugh that came out at Rachel's poor attempt to distract Kurt, but she appreciated the effort all the same. _Wait, why was she laughing? Wasn't she meant to be freaking out right about now?_

"Berry, it's fine." Santana assured around her chuckle, letting go of one of Brittany's hands but keeping a firm hold on the other. _Why the hell was she so calm about this all of a sudden?_

"It is?" Rachel's eyes were wide with confusion as she continued to glance between her friends.

"Yeah, it is?" Brittany echoed from beside her. Santana looked up to see Brittany eyeing her with that same confused, but nevertheless happy smile, and Santana found herself nodding confidently.

"Wait, is _what _fine?" Kurt questioned, looking from an equally as perplexed Rachel back to Santana. "Will someone please tell me what's going on?" _Here goes. _Santana looked up to Brittany again for confirmation to see her smiling lovingly back at her, before turning back to Kurt. Now it came down to it, she hadn't the faintest idea what to say. She couldn't say she and Brittany were together, could she? No, they hadn't even spoken about that themselves, so that would be weird. What the hell was she meant to say then? Oh, we've made out countless times, had sex once and just generally flirt outrageously the rest of the time? _Jesus. No._

Deciding there was no way to really explain this, Santana did the first thing that came into her head. She took Brittany's hand still intertwined with her own and placed a soft kiss to it. She could feel Brittany smiling beside her, but she kept her gaze firmly on Kurt in order to gauge his reaction. She watched nervously as his eyes widened a little, looked down at their hands again, glanced to Rachel who smiled and nodded, and then back to them. Santana's nerves lifted away however, when she saw the warm smile spread across his face.

"I knew it!" Kurt exclaimed as he clasped his hands together, drawing hushed giggles from Santana and Brittany. "Oh my goodness this is _so_ exciting! When did this happen? _How _did this happen? I mean, of course I expected something, but I didn't really know for sure if-" His excited rambling was cut off with a slap to the shoulder and a stern look from Rachel. Kurt rolled his eyes and allowed Rachel to start dragging him back inside the apartment. "Fine, I'll leave you girls to it, but I will expect all the details tomorrow!" And with a final accusatory point of his sword, the door closed behind them, leaving Brittany and Santana alone again. Santana knew she had a stupid grin plastered across her face, but she couldn't really speak for a moment. _Had that really just happened? _Did she really just voluntarily tell someone about her and Brittany? And why did she feel so okay with it?

"I can't believe… Did that really just happen?" Brittany asked around a large grin, clearly reading Santana's mind. The Latina chuckled and turned to face her again.

"Apparently." Santana replied through her laugh. "Sorry, I kind of caught you off guard there. Was that okay?" She realised she hadn't even ran it by Brittany before blurting it out to Kurt, not that she exactly had the opportunity, but still. Brittany didn't reply for a second, and instead leant down to place a chaste kiss on Santana's lips, making her eyes flutter close and her insides fill with warmth and those freaking butterflies again.

"I'm so proud of you, Santana." It wasn't what she had expected Brittany to say, she wasn't sure why, but it forced her eyes open. The sight she was met with was Brittany grinning from ear to ear, her perfect white teeth showing, and her eyes watering a little. _Wow._ Santana lifted her hand and stroked a finger over Brittany's soft cheek, catching a tiny tear which had escaped from the corner of one of those blue eyes, and smiled.

"You're the reason I was able to do that, you know?" Santana said, dropping her hand and taking Brittany's other one again. "I'm like this whole other person when I'm with you. I'm a raging bitch around everyone else." Brittany chuckled and opened her mouth to protest but Santana didn't let her. "But not when I'm with you. How do you do it, Britt-Britt?" Santana asked through her stupidly large grin, which she would have felt embarrassed about had Brittany's not been just as big.

"I'm just awesome." The blonde shrugged innocently and Santana giggled. "I don't know. Maybe, I'm like an exception or something." She added a little more seriously, rubbing her thumb softly over the back of Santana's hand.

"The only exception Britt." Brittany chuckled at her cheesiness but a blush crawled over her cheeks all the same.

"Are we… telling people now then?" She asked, swinging their hands back and forth between them. Santana thought for a second before replying.

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, I want to, yes. I really want to. Just… let me figure out how to tell Quinn okay?" Brittany seemed to understand because she nodded and smiled sweetly. "But listen, Britt. I wanna _be _with you. I don't want anyone else, I just want you, okay?" Brittany nodded again, pulled her in closer, and claimed her lips once more. Again, it was gentle and measured, and Santana couldn't stop herself smiling against her lips because of what this kiss meant. They were actually going to _tell _people about them, and more importantly, Santana _wanted _to. Brittany wanted to be with her, and only her, and that thought alone made her want to kiss Brittany like this forever.

_Maybe she would let her someday._

**…**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey! So overwhelmed at how many people are reading and enjoying this. It really means a lot, and I love reading each and every one of your reviews. I'd love more people to let me know what they think, 'cause it really helps to hear any ideas or feedback, and I love hearing what you guys have to say!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. I hope it's got a good mix of fun and cuteness.**

**What did everyone think of the new episode?**

Chapter 17:

**...**

**8.33 a.m. **Cannot. Open. Eyes. Head hurts. Room spinning (weird considering eyes still closed). Ugh. Must. Sleep.

**8.57 a.m. **Oh dear god. What's happening? Everything still pitch black. Why can't I move? Am I dead? Oh my god, I'm dead! Panic, _panic!_

**9.16 a.m. **Must have fallen asleep again. Decided am in fact not dead, but rather suffering from world's worst hangover. Never. Drinking. Again.

**9.17 a.m. **Okay, maybe not _never. _Nothing wrong with a glass of wine every now and again… Oh _god_, don't mention wine! Think I may be sick… holy fuck, sudden feeling of nausea. Definitely going to be sick. If only could move…

**9.23 a.m. **Okay, false alarm. Wasn't sick. Actually feeling a thousand times better. Hangover must be cured? May even be able to open eyes…

_Oh dear god I'm blind._

Santana blinked roughly a couple of times as she took in her surroundings. Where the hell was she? This definitely wasn't her room, it was far too bright, and there were way too many fluffy pillows around her. _Oh god. _A feeling of horror rushed over her as she thought for a split second that she may in fact be in Rachel Berry's bed, but she let out a sigh of relief when she noticed the baby blue walls. _Brittany_.

Rolling very tentatively onto her back, and ignoring the fact that she was for some reason sprawled sideways across the bed, Santana let a lazily smile stretch its way across her lips. She couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly happy about the conversation she and Brittany had had out on the balcony last night. It could not have been more perfect. It's like everything just sort of clicked; why she'd been so closed off all these years, how it was Brittany she'd been waiting for, and how nothing had really made sense up until she came back into her life. All she wanted was to be with Brittany and make her happy, and she'd _told _Brittany that. But more importantly, she'd said that she wanted to tell _other _people that. _God, she sounded grown up._

Her slow, hungover brain only just catching up with the fact that she was in _Brittany's bed_, Santana grinned harder. She turned onto her side and reached her arm out to find said blonde, only to feel very confused when her arm hit the cool mattress. Wait, if she was in Brittany's bed, where the hell was Brittany? Santana shot up into a sitting position, an action which she immediately regretted when her stomach made a sound that threatened to bring up all the alcohol consumed last night with it. After staying completely still for a few moments and ensuring there was no possible chance of throwing up, Santana slowly surveyed the room. Yep, definitely Brittany's bedroom, but no sight of Brittany. Santana thought back to last night. When had she gone to bed? Had Brittany gone with her? She glanced down to see that she was wearing sweats and a t-shirt. Wait, when did she get changed? Did Brittany help her? Ugh, head hurts with so much thinking. To be honest, Santana could hardly remember anything after the balcony. She remembered coming back in, getting more drinks… dancing… a lot… The Latina smiled at the hazy memory of dancing with Brittany, the stolen looks and lingering touches. What else had happened though? _Jesus, this was like the fucking Hangover or something. _

Deciding the best idea was to go and find the others who could hopefully shed some light on the situation, and preferably give her some coffee and/or an aspirin, Santana carefully clambered out of bed. She had to steady herself a little and tell the room to _stay still _a few times before moving, but she finally managed to stagger out into the corridor and slowly make her way towards the kitchen where she could smell… bacon? _Oh thank the lord._

Santana instantly felt better when she entered the kitchen to see Brittany wearing tiny shorts and a loose t-shirt, standing with her back towards her over at the stove. _Mmm two of her favourite things… Brittany… and bacon._ She found herself grinning stupidly as she tip-toed up behind the blonde and snaked her arms around her waist. Brittany gasped in surprise, before turning her head and greeting her with a warm smile.

"Morning sleepyhead." Brittany beamed and Santana just hugged her tighter, placing a soft kiss to her shoulder.

"Mmhmm…" She hummed into the blonde's neck who giggled and continued to poke at the bacon in the pan.

"Is that directed at me or the bacon?" Brittany asked around a grin and Santana squeezed her once more before heading over to the cupboard to grab a mug. "Both." She teased, eliciting a giggle from Brittany which she was sure could have melted away her entire hangover all by itself. "Want coffee?"

"Got some, thank you. There's more in the pot if you want some though." Santana nodded before pouring herself a mug and sitting down at the island. It was remarkably tidy in here, so she guessed Brittany must have cleaned up.

"Few quick questions." Santana said casually, still smiling as she took a sip of coffee. Brittany turned to face her curiously. "Firstly, how long have you been up? Because I may have been wasted but we definitely didn't leave the kitchen like this last night." Brittany chuckled before returning her attention to the pan.

"I'm kind of a morning person. Besides, you were kicking in your sleep and kept stealing the duvet." She replied lightly and Santana mentally face-palmed. It was one of those strange things in life that she had never understood. Any other normal night, she was the image of serenity when she slept; she didn't move around, she didn't snore or sleep talk. However, as soon as she'd been drinking she somehow turned into this wild, thrashing duvet-hogger. It was like a medical condition. She should probably get it checked out…

"Yeah… sorry about that. You can blame it on the alcohol." Brittany laughed and retrieved two plates from the cupboard beside her. "Okay, next question. _How _are you not hungover? I wasn't the only drunk one last night was I?" Brittany laughed again and shook her head before bringing the two plates with delicious-looking bacon sandwiches over to the island.

"First of all, that's two questions." The blonde said with a grin as she sat down opposite Santana. "And no, you definitely weren't the only drunk one. I just don't tend to get super bad hangovers." She shrugged and took a large bite of her breakfast. Usually, people who didn't get hangovers irritated the hell out of Santana because, well, how is that fair? But obviously this being Brittany, she couldn't help but smile, and took a mouthful of her own sandwich. _Ugh, so good. _She could definitely get used to Brittany making her breakfast.

"Okay, last question. And definitely the most important." Santana set down her bacon sandwich and looked at Brittany with feigned seriousness. Brittany tried to fight back a giggle and mirrored her actions. "What the _hell _happened last night?" Brittany snorted and went back to her breakfast. "No, Britt, I'm serious! I literally have no recollection of most of the party. Everything after the balcony is kind of a blur…" She felt a blush appear on her cheeks at the mention of their conversation last night. A good blush though. Brittany looked up and smiled widely.

"Good. Well, I'm glad you didn't forget that part." She said sweetly as she reached across the island and tapped Santana on the nose. She giggled when Santana pretended to swipe her away. "Don't worry though, the night is pretty much a drunken haze for me too. I don't even remember going to bed." That made Santana feel better that she wasn't the only one. At least she hadn't been roufied again. "I'm also trying to work out where this weird bruise on my arm came from." Brittany lifted her elbow to show her the purple mark and a large smile slowly spread across Santana's face as something came flashing back to her.

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed, covering her mouth and stifling a laugh. "I remember!" Brittany, slightly taken aback, eyed her curiously before her expression changed into one of alarm.

"What? Did I do something embarrassing? Oh god, I did, didn't I?" Santana couldn't help but think Brittany's panicking was the cutest thing she'd ever seen.

"Britt-Britt. I'm afraid you could say it was pretty embarrassing." The blonde buried her face in her hands. "But don't worry! We were all involved so it wasn't just you." Brittany seemed to relax at this news as she lifted her face and it softened into a curious smile.

**…**

**_Last night…_**

_Okay, so this was like the best party ever. _

_Ever since she and Brittany had returned from the balcony, Santana hadn't been able to wipe the ridiculous grin off her face, not that she'd been trying particularly hard. The past couple of hours had whizzed by in a blur of seductive looks, stolen touches, and a lot more drinks. And Santana was loving every minute of it._

_She was now on her fourth drink. And by fourth she means sixth, or probably eighth, but she wasn't really sure. All she knew was that the music was still loud and the lights were dimmed, and Brittany still looked stunning. It was pretty late, and Quinn had shouted for everyone to go home about half an hour ago, so only a few of them were left, drinking and dancing happily. Quinn and Kurt had finally reappeared, and Santana and Brittany had spent god knows how long drunkenly dancing along with them, Rachel, Tina and Mike, only with breaks every now and then to retrieve more alcohol. It had got to that stage in the night when all the regular drinks had gone, and Santana was pretty sure she had just knocked back what tasted like a mixture of rum, tequila and beer. _

_Now however, for which reason drunk Santana had yet to figure out, she was sat on Puck's shoulders, who was standing on one of the sofas opposite a grinning Brittany, who had Quinn giggling on her own shoulders. The four of them seemed to be involved in some kind of gladiator competition. Whatever it was, it was seriously fun. Clutching Kurt's plastic shield in one hand, she made another failed swipe at Quinn with the sword. Quinn shrieked when she nearly toppled off Brittany in an attempt to dodge the attack and Santana found herself laughing hysterically – much more so than necessary – at the way Quinn's arms flailed ridiculously as she tried to steady herself. She couldn't stop thinking about how much it reminded her of an octopus, but when she tried to explain this idea to Brittany, she just burst out laughing and then couldn't remember the rest of her story. This time it was Santana's turn to shriek as Quinn flicked her across the face with the cuddly snake she'd stolen as a weapon from around Brittany's neck. The two blondes high-fived triumphantly. This game was surprisingly hard, especially with the dizziness she was now feeling from her last few drinks. _

_"Oh, hell no! You're gonna pay for that one, Fabray!" Santana yelled above the still pounding music with a wicked grin as she poked Quinn in the chest with her plastic sword. Quinn gasped and dramatically lifted a hand to her heart as if she'd really been stabbed, which only made Santana laugh harder. Sure, so maybe they looked completely and utterly ridiculous – after all, it's not every day you see a cheerleader holding a sword and shield fighting a policewoman swinging a toy snake on top of Britney Spears shoulders – and okay, so they were at least ten years too old for this kind of game, and yes, this was definitely how people fall and wake up in the morning with various drunken injuries, but they were all far too drunk to care right now. They were just the right amount of wasted, that this game was pure genius. _

_"Yeeeesss! Go Team Brunette!" She heard Rachel squeal from somewhere below her and Santana prodded Quinn again with her toy sword._

_"Brittany, hold still! I can't get at her when you're… arghh - wobbling like that!" Quinn shrieked in between giggles as Brittany nearly stumbled off the sofa._

_"You weigh a freaking ton Quinn, it's not my fault!" The blonde replied through a huge grin, tightening her grip around Quinn's thighs, and Santana chuckled. _

_"No I do not!" She shouted adamantly, all the while trying desperately to dodge Santana's wild swings. "You're a dancer! You're meant… to be… strong!"_

_"Get 'em Lezpez! We've got this!" She heard Puck yell from underneath her and she took another swipe at a giggling Quinn. Santana watched with amusement as Quinn screamed again, wobbled a little and then desperately clung to Brittany's head for support. She snorted with laughter as Quinn's attempt to hold her balance meant that her hands were now covering Brittany's eyes, who proceeded to panic and stagger blindly from side to side on the couch._

_"Quinn! I can't- I can't see! Get- arrghh!" Brittany screamed dramatically as her legs buckled underneath her and the two of them came tumbling off the sofa and onto the floor in an epic fall. "Ow, my elbow! Quinn, get off!"_

**…**

"Oh my god I can't believe we did that!" Brittany breathed out through a laugh. "We are seriously like five years old." Santana nodded in agreement, covering her mouth with the back of her hand to prevent any breakfast spilling out as she joined in the laughter. "It really hurts though." Brittany added with an adorable pout as she rubbed her injured elbow.

"Well, maybe if you hadn't sucked so bad at that game…" Brittany let her jaw drop open in mock offense and Santana let out another laugh, before leaning over to place a quick kiss to her injured elbow.

"Yeah? Well at least I didn't spend twenty minutes walking around on all fours pretending to be a guinea pig." _Excuse me?_ Brittany was grinning wickedly and Santana just stared back in shock. No, she couldn't have… could she? She did vaguely remember a game of Truth or Dare… and her hands did feel slightly sore from what could well be carpet burn, but… a _guinea pig?_

"Who the hell does an impression of a guinea pig?" Santana exclaimed in horror to a giggling Brittany. "I mean, how does someone even go about doing that? I swear they're like, silent animals… how do you even- Britt, stop laughing! It's not funny!" She playfully slapped Brittany on the arm, which just made the blonde laugh harder. Okay, even though Santana was completely mortified right now, she felt kind of pleased with herself knowing that she was the one making Brittany laugh this much, because_ holy fuck, _that laugh was gorgeous.

"I- I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Brittany breathed out in between giggles, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "It was a dare, don't worry. And you were actually pretty good. Definitely the best impression of a guinea pig I've ever seen." Santana stuck her tongue out at Brittany for her teasing and then buried her head in her hands.

"God, why do I feel like there are so many more embarrassing stories to come out of last night?" She groaned and reached for her coffee. "I bet it was Berry who made me do that. Definitely sounds like a Berry dare." Brittany chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Speaking of which, where the hell is everyone else?" Santana glanced around her, suddenly realising she hadn't seen any of the others yet.

"Well I saw Tina and Mike asleep on one of the sofas, and Puck is passed out on the living room floor…" Santana nodded. Standard. "But I have no idea where Kurt is." _Jesus, this really was just like The Hangover._ "And as for Quinn and Rachel…" A devilish smirk appeared at her lips. "I have to show you something." Brittany suddenly stood up from the island, still grinning as she reached for Santana's hand.

"But _Britt…_" Santana whined as she got dragged out of her very comfortable seat. "I haven't even finished my sandwich yet! And it's _so _good!" Brittany ignored her and began pulling her out into the hall.

"Believe me. You're going to want to see this." Santana smiled despite herself, ignoring the sudden feeling that her head was going to explode from standing up too quickly, and let Brittany lead her down the corridor. They paused outside the bathroom and Brittany let go of her hand to grab the door handle. "Ready?" She asked, still grinning as she lifted a finger to her lips, motioning for Santana to be quiet, before turning the handle. Santana wasn't quite sure why they were having to be quiet, but nonetheless followed Brittany's lead, tip-toeing like a ridiculous cartoon character into the bathroom.

"What are we looking at?" She hissed in a loud whisper. Santana couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary. As far as she could tell, it was just how Quinn's bathroom usually looked, aside from a half empty tequila bottle and a couple of discarded plastic cups scattered across the white tiled floors. Brittany motioned for her to be quiet again before grinning and pointing over to the bathtub. Santana tip-toed over to get a better view of whatever Brittany was trying to show her and her mouth fell open.

_Oh my god. _

She couldn't help the laugh – or rather snort – that erupted as she took in the sight in front of her. Rachel was passed out in the bathtub, lying face-down on top of a sleeping Quinn, hair in disarray, still in their costumes from the night before. _Priceless._

"_Shh!_" Brittany hissed and nudged her shoulder, but she too was failing miserably to contain her giggling.

"Oh my _god! _This is just-" Santana breathed out around another laugh and gripped Brittany's shoulder for support. "Hands down… best thing I've ever seen… oh my god!" She spluttered in between bouts of laughter. Brittany was desperately trying to get her to be quiet but little giggles kept escaping from the blonde's mouth. When Rachel suddenly snored loudly – one of those snores which literally sounds like the person is choking – the girls lost it. They erupted into fits of laughter, gripping onto each other and making failed attempts to keep quiet.

"Oh my god... Too much!" Brittany collapsed on the floor and clutched the rim of the bathtub as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Did you… was the moustache you?!" Santana stammered as she noticed the black marker on Quinn's upper lip. Brittany nodded and snorted with laughter again. _Genius._

"Britt, they're… Shh I think they're waking up!" Santana hushed as she watched Quinn's nose wrinkling slightly and Rachel shuffling on top of her. She held her breath and watched with utter amusement as Quinn, still wearing her police hat, began rubbing her closed eyes and shifting a little. A muffled groan escaped Rachel's lips and Brittany heaved herself up to peer over the tub, not wanting to miss out on a second of this entertainment. Santana couldn't help but grin, knowing she was enjoying this little too much, as she watched the realisation process appear over Quinn's features. Quinn scrunched up her face, opened one eye slowly before clearly regretting that decision and shutting it quickly. Finally she squeezed open both eyes, blinked once, twice, and then glanced down to the mess of brunette hair below her. Santana swallowed another laugh as she watched Quinn's bleary eyes focus then widen in shock.

"Wha-" Quinn muttered barely audibly and Santana heard a stifled giggle from Brittany. Quinn squeezed her eyes shut tight before opening them again and attempting to speak. "What the- why in god's name am I in my _bathtub_?" She croaked as she glanced around her with a panicked expression. Santana and Brittany lost it again, bursting out into another fit of laughter, Brittany resting her head on the rim of the bath, Santana doubling over and wiping the tears falling from her eyes. Quinn immediately snapped her attention to them, only just noticing they were here, and glanced between her two hysterical friends. "Did you do this to me?" She said accusingly, but her voice was so weak and croaky it didn't even come close to intimidating, only making Santana and Brittany laugh harder.

"N-no… This was… all you." Brittany managed to stutter as she tried to regain her composure. Quinn muttered something as she shifted underneath Rachel again. The brunette let out another strangled groan, this one louder and Brittany snorted with laughter again.

"Rach." Quinn croaked but the brunette just buried her face further into her friend's neck. "Rachel." She repeated, this time a little more forcefully as she prodded her arm. "Rachel, I- you're on my- I can't breathe. _Rachel!_" With a sharp intake of breath, Rachel suddenly snapped her head up and glanced at her surroundings, rubbing her eyes groggily. Her vision focused in on Quinn below her, before glancing up to Santana and Brittany, who were desperately trying not to laugh again. She looked like she was trying to speak, but instead settled on another groan and let her head fall back down onto Quinn's chest. "Rachel, I'd really like to get out of the bath." Quinn announced as she shook her friend to prevent her from falling asleep again. Brittany giggled and clambered back up to her feet, taking Santana's hand and leading her towards the door.

"Come on. Let's leave them to… whatever this is, and go finish our breakfast." Brittany said around a grin and Santana nodded. She took one last look at Quinn and Rachel, just to make sure the sight was firmly etched into her brain, before allowing herself to be led out of the room and back to the kitchen.

"Okay, this is quickly becoming one of the most entertaining hangovers I've ever had." Santana announced as she sat down and took a bite of her bacon sandwich. It was a little cold now but she didn't really care, it still tasted good and nothing could bring down her mood after seeing _that._ "Why the hell did they think it was a good idea to sleep in the bath?" Brittany let out a breathy laugh and took a gulp of her coffee.

"I have no idea. But I took a picture on my phone when I found them this morning." She added with a wicked grin which Santana mirrored immediately.

"Okay, you, Brittany S. Pierce, are a _genius._"

**…**

"I hear you guys passed out in the bathtub." Tina announced with a knowing grin as Rachel and Quinn finally appeared in the kitchen. It was now around eleven. Puck had disappeared off somewhere and Kurt was still nowhere to be found –they should probably be a little more worried about that come to think of it. Tina and Mike had eventually joined them in the kitchen and the group was now having a great time piecing together the events of the previous night.

"So I guess we're telling people then?" Quinn addressed Santana with a hint of irritation as she pulled up a stool at the island. Rachel poured her and Quinn coffee before taking the seat next to her and resting her head in her hands. They'd both got changed into sweats and Quinn had managed to rub off most of her moustache, so at least that was something.

"If by _people _you mean everyone we know, then yeah." Santana said casually as she sipped on her second mug of coffee. _Oh, she was going to have so much fun teasing those two for weeks._

"Right." Quinn replied thoughtfully, taking a gulp of her own coffee. "Then I guess you should probably know that you prank called your mum last night." She said as if it was no big deal at all. Santana's mouth dropped. _No. no, no, no, no._

"_What?!_" She nearly spat out her coffee all over the island as she stared back at Quinn with a look of horror. When her friend simply smirked, Santana leapt up off her stool and sprinted to Brittany's room to find her phone, leaving behind her giggling friends. When she eventually located it on the floor under her Cheerio's uniform, she hastily swiped the screen and her stomach dropped when she saw four missed calls from her mum. _Fan-fucking-tastic._

**…**

So, Santana had been meaning to tell Quinn about her and Brittany. She really had. But one thing after another just kept… getting in her way. Okay, so yesterday was obviously a complete right off. These kind of serious conversations should never be had hungover. And besides, after she'd got back to her own apartment, she'd had to spend the remainder of the afternoon trying to convince her mum that _no, she was in fact not pregnant and no, she wasn't running off with her professor to get married. _Everyone else seemed to find the whole situation highly amusing, but no matter how many times Santana tried to explain the concept of a _prank call _to her mother, she just didn't seem to get it.

And then take today. One by one, little things kept happening to put Santana in a bad mood; it's like the universe was trying to tell her that this whole _telling Quinn_ thing was a bad idea. First of all, she fell out of bed when her alarm clock went off this morning. Like, _literally _just fell out of bed. Who even does that? And then Kurt decided to tell her that he had forgotten to buy more coffee when he went grocery shopping the other day, so she was forced to have de-caff with her breakfast this morning. _De-caff. _What the fuck is even the point of drinking coffee without the caffeine? That's like… like… Ugh, she can't even find a comparison. See? Her brain doesn't function without coffee in the morning. She'd then had to spend most of the morning sitting through her Musical History and Vocal Theory classes, listening to Rachel Berry next to her drone on and on and _on _about pitch and timing and breathing and _who gives a fuck? _And on top of everything else, the sunny, autumnal weather seemed to have completely given up and it felt like it had dropped about a hundred degrees. The sky had greyed over and the darkened clouds were threatening to open up at any moment. _Just great._

So it was safe to say Santana hadn't had the best of mornings. The only thing that was keeping her from giving up all together and throwing herself in front of a moving bus, was the text she had received earlier, and which she may or may not have read at least twenty times since.

_Good luck baby. You'll do great xx – Britt_

Like a stupid teenager getting a text from a crush, Santana had nearly died when she'd read that. Maybe it was the two kisses at the end, maybe it was the way she could hear Brittany's soothing voice in her head as she read those words, or maybe it was the way she had said _baby. _Wait, yep, it was definitely the last part. It wasn't even the first time she'd said it, but there was just something about seeing it written down, or perhaps it was because of the conversation they'd had at the Halloween Party, but whatever the reason, it felt amazing to hear. That word had been sort of floating around Santana's head all afternoon, filling her with a warm, fuzzy feeling. She could tell Kurt and Rachel had been kind of freaked out when she'd skipped into the apartment after class with a goofy, lopsided grin plastered on her face, especially since she'd been the world's biggest bitch this morning. But they politely hadn't said anything – probably not wanting to ruin it – while Santana had waltzed around, chosen her outfit, got herself ready and skipped out the door again. She should probably mention at this point that they had found Kurt at around noon yesterday – he had passed out in the closet and had somehow managed to lock himself in there. All good now.

Anyway, here she now was, walking down the street towards Lola's. That's why Brittany had wished her good luck earlier, today was her trial shift. Actually, you couldn't even really call it that, it was more just to quickly run through a few things, show her the ropes, teach her how to make a few drinks – Puck had said it shouldn't even take more than about half an hour. Her first actual shift was on Thursday. Usually she'd be a little nervous, or just generally dreading the fact she was actually going to have to you know, _work_, but there was something about the fact that Brittany had got her this job. She couldn't be mad about it; it just kind of felt... special. So Santana was actually kind of excited. She was wearing black skinny jeans and a loose black shirt – she'd spent enough time in Lola's over the years to see what kind of thing the staff wore – and was now just rounding the corner to the bar. It was nearly five in the afternoon – Puck wanted to take her through everything while they were still closed, which made sense – but it was kind of weird going there when it was still light. When she saw the large red sign, she turned and headed for the back entrance as she'd been instructed to do. Her heart did a little flip and she couldn't help but smile when she found herself in the alley Brittany had dragged her into all that time ago. Pushing images of Brittany pinning her against the wall and attacking her lips to the back of her mind - she was a professional now after all - she pushed open the door that read _STAFF_.

Santana entered into a back room, which looked like a kind of staff hang-out. Lockers lined the walls, a coffee table sat in the middle surrounded by a few tired-looking sofas. It was pretty shabby, but kind of cool. Santana pushed open another door and found herself in a corridor which she recognised from when she'd been back here occasionally with Puck. His office was on the left and Santana was pretty sure there was a storeroom off to the right. She carried on down the corridor in the direction of the bar, in search for Puck. When she swung open the door, Santana's whole body tensed as she saw a flash of blonde hair. Not the same blonde hair which gave her warm, fuzzy feelings and tingles all over. _Oh no_. The short, preppy, Justin Bieber kind, which came accompanied by the largest set of lips ever owned by a human being. _Sam. _

_How the fuck had she forgotten he worked here? _She had been so caught up in the fact that she actually had a job, a job which _Brittany _had got for her, she had totally forgotten she would be working alongside Trouty-Mouth. Who, by the way, Santana hadn't spoken to since she pretty much assaulted him after dancing with Brittany. _Fuck. _Before Santana could turn round and make a break for it, Sam had noticed her and those giant lips of his were lifting into a smile. Clearly she hadn't managed to reciprocate it, because soon his grin faltered and he looked down awkwardly at his shoes.

"Listen, Trouty-Mouth, I'm just looking for Puck. Know where he is?" Santana said coldly as she came in and took a seat at the bar, trying her best not to let on just how awkward she felt right now. Sam looked at her with a quizzical expression from behind the bar where he was cleaning the beer taps.

"Uh…" He was still looking at her strangely. Santana rolled her eyes.

"I work here now. Puck's meant to be taking me through some things tonight, comprendes? Or do those enormous, swollen lips of yours not let you speak?" He chuckled lightly before shaking his head and putting down his dish cloth.

"Yeah, no I know what you're talking about. I mean, I may be pretty, but I'm not dumb." Sam grinned as he made an attempt at a joke. Santana didn't return the smile. "Okaaayy. Well, this is kind of awkward now, but Puck said he had some things to do so he asked me to run you through everything." _Oh. Right. _Santana stiffened and sat up in her seat, not really sure how to react. This was beyond awkward. On the one hand, she freaking hated this guy. She felt insane jealousy boil up inside her every time she saw him, and she was pretty sure he had feelings for Brittany. But on the other hand, Brittany had assured her that she would never go there, and she trusted her, she really did. Plus, she said Sam was her friend, so if they were friends, maybe Santana should be a little nicer to him…

"Look," Sam said with a sigh, snapping her from her thoughts. "I know this is awkward and you've never really taken to me. And that time when you saw me with Brittany… well, I never really got what that was about but anyway… it would be cool if we could get along." Seeing her folded arms and her cold stare, Sam sighed again and shrugged. "I mean, at least when we work together." He added more quietly. Santana took a deep breath, feeling she should probably clear the air – the guy was trying after all - but she still wanted to hold the upper ground.

"Okay, Froggy-Lips. Can I call you Froggy-Lips?" Sam went to open his mouth but Santana cut him off. "Thanks. Now I'm not gonna lie I wasn't really expecting to see you here tonight, so you caughts me a little off guard." _A lot off guard actually_. "But I feel I should probably, you know, apologise for the last time I saw you. It's just," She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I was getting my drink on and when I saw you getting all handsy with my-" _Shit. My what? Girlfriend? _She couldn't say that. She and Brittany hadn't discussed the whole girlfriend thing yet. Besides, she didn't know if she should really be the one telling Sam about anything going on between them. That was probably more for Brittany to decide. _Shit. _"-err my _home girl_, Britt, I just got a little mad. I get pretty protective over my friends. But anyways, I guess since we're working together now, we should probably… try to get along. And if you're friends with Britt, I guess you can't be horrible." Santana gave him a tight lipped smile, which Sam's simple brain seemed to register as them now being best friends because he grinned and held out his fist. _Oh god, a fist pump? Really? This guy is all kinds of lame._ Looking away awkwardly and hating herself, Santana lifted her fist and bumped it against Sam's, who grinned harder. Before things could get too chummy, Santana opened her mouth to speak again. "But if I catch you ogling my girl Britt again, I will ends you. M'kay?" Sam's eyes went wide and he nodded hastily like a little kid being told off.

"Y-yeah, I'm sorry I just… I was drunk and Britts is hot and I'm a guy so…" Santana shot him a glare and he lifted his hands up in defence. "B-but we're just friends, I promise. She's never been into me like that." Satisfied, Santana nodded before making her way behind the bar to join Sam.

"Okay, Guppy-Lips. Teach me what I need to know."

**…**

The past half an hour had gone by pretty painlessly. Although Sam was pretty dorky, and did the worst impressions Santana had ever seen, she didn't _hate _the guy. He meant well, and it was actually kind of awesome getting to hear stories about Brittany in high school. Sam told her about this one time she snuck Lord Tubbington into school with her and kept him in her locker all day, and kept having to excuse herself from class to go and feed him or you know, let him breathe. Her particular favourite though, was when Sam told her how Brittany had claimed she would go topless on Tuesdays during her campaign for Class President. It made Santana smile, and also made her wish she'd known Brittany in high school. Not because Tuesdays would have been awesome (which they totally would), but because the two of them were inseparable in elementary school, and she couldn't help but think how much more bearable high school would have been if she'd had her best friend with her.

Just as Sam was finishing up showing her where everything went, the door chimed open and they both looked up. Santana's heart melted when she saw Brittany skip into the bar, an enormous goofy grin on her face, directed solely at the Latina. Brittany had come to visit her after her shift. When Santana had replied to her ridiculously cute text earlier, she'd mentioned what time she expected to be done, but she didn't actually think she'd stop by. She could feel her cheeks hurting from how much she was smiling. Brittany's smile faltered, however, when she noticed Sam standing next to her behind the bar.

"Hey Britts!" He sung and Brittany stopped in her tracks, looking slowly between Santana and Sam with a slightly worried expression.

"Uh, hey. I didn't realise you'd be here." Brittany replied rather cautiously, still glancing between the two, probably wondering why Santana was smiling and why Sam was still in one piece. "Hey, Santana." She said, finding her smile again, but still looking rather confused as she took up a stool. Santana grinned and rested her elbows on the bar so that she was leaning in towards Brittany.

"Hey, Britt. Trouty here was just showing me the ropes." Brittany nodded slowly and glanced to Sam again who smiled.

"Yeah, and we smoothed everything out. This girl's pretty great you know." Sam said, nudging Santana on the shoulder. "She's really got your back, Britts. You're lucky to have her." Santana kept her eyes on Brittany, who looked from Sam and back to her as her face softened into that gorgeous smile again. Santana couldn't help but take note of the deeper meaning behind Sam's words, even if he hadn't meant it like that.

"Is that so?" She teased, playing with Santana's pinkie finger as Sam bustled around the bar. Santana just nodded, her eyes still fixed on Brittany who was still beaming. She looked so beautiful, she didn't want look away just yet. She'd missed her today.

"I missed you today." Santana whispered and Brittany smiled harder, leaning a little closer and still playing with her hand. It was weird, Santana had the biggest urge to kiss Brittany right now, and she didn't even care that Sam was right there. All she would have to do was lean over a little more. Brittany seemed to have the same thought, because Santana noticed blue eyes flicker down to her lips and then back up. Unconsciously, Santana poked her tongue out to wet her lips, still smiling hard and looking deep into blue eyes. Brittany's finger was now stroking light circles on her wrist, and the touch was holding her in this sort of trance, leaning over the bar, staring into Brittany's eyes and grinning stupidly.

"I missed you too." She breathed around an equally large smile and continued tracing soft circles on Santana's skin. Suddenly, Santana felt Sam's eyes on them, but again, strangely she didn't feel the need to look away.

"Whoa you guys look like you're…" He chuckled and shook his head. "Wait… holy shit, are you guys..?" Brittany's hand stilled and she turned towards Sam, who was gawping like an idiot. Again, it was weird. Santana didn't care. Maybe it was because she didn't know Sam, and didn't particularly care about his opinion, or maybe it was because she'd already told Rachel and Kurt so this didn't feel so scary, but whatever it was made her keep smiling as Brittany turned back to her. When blue eyes searched her own, looking for an answer or confirmation that this was okay, Santana smiled wider, nodded and took Brittany's hands in her own. Brittany beamed and squeezed her hands back.

"Y-yeah. We are." She said softly, still not taking her gaze away from Santana. Santana felt her heart swell as she heard those words fall from Brittany's mouth. They didn't explicitly say anything, and were as vague as her kiss to Brittany's hand had been when they'd told Kurt, but they still meant everything. She felt herself unconsciously leaning further over the bar, and watched as Brittany smiled before their lips connected. It was sweet and chaste, but it held with it all of the meaning of what had just happened. Santana smiled as Brittany hummed against her lips, and they finally broke apart, looking happily into each other's eyes. Sam coughed awkwardly beside them but neither of them looked up. They were both too caught up in this moment and the fact that they'd just kissed in front of someone.

"Right, well. I uh- I guess that explains a lot… I've gotta go, but- c-congratulations, Britts." He muttered clumsily before scurrying out into the back. The two girls giggled and kissed again.

"I really did miss you today." Santana said as she stroked her thumbs over the back of Brittany's hands. Brittany hummed in response and grinned.

"Did we just tell someone else?" Brittany asked, those blue eyes so bright and happy. Santana smiled and nodded. "Jeez, we're getting pretty pro at this." Brittany joked and Santana let out a giggle. "How was your trial?" She asked, her eyes still locked on Santana's.

"Awesome. I'm kind of a natural at mixing drinks." Santana said as she pretended to pop her collar. This time Brittany giggled, a sound which caused Santana's stomach to twinge deliciously. "But seriously, Britt-Britt. Thank you for this." She leant in and placed another soft kiss to Brittany's lips, who smiled against her. Santana was definitely starting to get used to this whole _kissing Brittany just because she could _thing. That thought made her smile harder. "Hey, Britt. I was thinking…" She began, suddenly shy as the speech she'd been preparing all day flew out of her head. "So, um… Kurt has, like, a date on Wednesday night… a-and Rachel has her Funny Girl Audition, and well, I was sort of wondering if you wanted to come over? We could get take out, or I could cook, and we could watch a movie or you know, whatever… or if you're busy or you don't want to or-" The rest of her words were swallowed by Brittany's lips as the blonde leant in and kissed her. Santana immediately relaxed and let out a little hum as Brittany lifted her hand to cup her cheek softly. When they broke apart, Brittany grinned and giggled a little.

"Santana, I will totally come over on Wednesday night." The Latina let out a breath and matched Brittany's wide smile.

"It's a date then."

**…**

Okay, what's the word for being completely freaked out, nervous, beyond stressed and totally excited all at the same time? Whatever it was, that would be how to describe Santana right now. In fact, that would probably be the word used for all three housemates on this particular Wednesday afternoon. Kurt had reached total panic mode as he bustled through the apartment, shouting various things about hairspray and curling tongs, as he freaked out about his date with Blaine - apparently one of Brittany's _'adorable' _friends who he met at the Halloween party. Rachel was also freaking out, although her reason was perhaps a little more justified than her roommates, seeing as her first Funny Girl audition was at 6.30. But still, she was being totally overdramatic. Not only had Santana been woken up the past three mornings by inhumanly loud run-throughs of _You Are Woman, I Am Man _at disturbingly early times, but Rachel had actually gone as far as to take a vow of silence in the last twenty-four hours. Apparently to 'rest her voice'. Although very amusing to watch her sprinting through the apartment, frantically grabbing sheets of music and freaking out in general, whilst staying completely mute, it was also extremely irritating. Especially as all Santana needed right now was some advice about her date with Brittany.

It was actually kind of nice that she could now talk to her roommates about Brittany, even though they were extremely annoying and hadn't stopped asking questions since the Halloween party. Apparently since Kurt now also knew, Rachel had decided she no longer needed to be subtle and kept making ridiculous _Aww _sounds and mushy faces whenever the blonde's name was mentioned. But still, it was nice not to have to hide her feelings anymore, at least around them. And let's just say she hadn't exactly been playing it cool about her upcoming date. When the realisation that she had actually asked Brittany out on a real date, and that they would be alone in the apartment all evening, finally hit Santana last night, she was actually kind of grateful that Kurt had been there to settle her nerves.

**…**

_"Satan. You need to calm the hell down! You're starting to freak me out and I already have a date of my own to worry about!"_

_"But there's just so much pressure Kurt!"_

_"I know, but you just need to-"_

_"Oh god, what if she doesn't like meee?"_

_"Seriously, Santana? You sound about five right now."_

_"What if she doesn't turn up? Oh god what if she realises this whole thing is a bad idea and I'm left all alone in the apartment, forced to eat a meal for two by myself, hopes and dreams crushed, drowning my sorrows with a bottle of wine and-" Suddenly Santana felt a sharp pain across her face. "Did you just… slap me?"_

_"Yes. You needed it."_

_"Thank you."_

_"Now get your shit together woman. Brittany adores you and you are going to have a wonderful date. And hopefully my date will go just as wonderfully and you two will be able to have the apartment to yourselves for the entire night. If you catch my drift…"_

_"Ew. Okay, this conversation is over."_

**…**

So she admitted she had perhaps overreacted a little, but this was serious stuff. She wanted tonight to go perfectly. Santana hadn't spoken to Brittany all day (unless you count the flirtatious text messages they'd been exchanging constantly) and she couldn't wait to see her and to have her all to herself. Kurt would hopefully be gone all night, even though the thought of that made Santana want to throw up in her mouth, and Rachel had her audition and would then be staying with Tina since she and Mike lived pretty close to where her audition was. So Santana was beyond excited, and definitely very nervous about the fact that Brittany would be staying the night. Just them. No interruptions. And she hadn't even picked out an outfit yet. _Shit._

"Hummel I need your help!" Santana yelled from her place on the couch as she heard Kurt rummaging around in the bathroom. Her make-up was done, she had curlers in her hair and she was just in her bathrobe. "_Hummel!_" She shouted louder when there was no answer.

"I'm busy! Go ask Rachel!" _Ugh. _Santana sighed and rolled her eyes as she heaved herself off the sofa and made her way cautiously to Rachel's room, where she could hear the all too familiar sounds of vocal exercises. _Dear god, help me._ She tentatively pushed open the door to find Rachel sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed, going through various strange voice warm ups. Recovering from the ridiculous sight in front of her, Santana took a step forward and cleared her throat.

"Um, Berry, I need your help with what to wear tonight for my-" She was cut off by Rachel bringing a finger to her lips. _Did she just shush me?_ "God, it'll literally just take two minutes." She couldn't actually believe she was asking Rachel of all people for fashion advice, but hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. Santana watched as Rachel sighed dramatically, opened her eyes and began scribbling something on a pad of paper_. _She lifted up the notepad and Santana read aloud what it said.

_I HAVE TAKEN A VOW OF SILENCE. _

"For the love of- Berry, I _just _heard you singing." Rachel sighed again as she flipped the page and began writing something else.

_THAT WAS NOT SINGING. THOSE WERE VOCAL EXERCISES. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL._

Jesus Christ. This was probably the most annoying way to have a conversation with someone. "Okay, fine. But do you think dress or jeans? You don't even have to say anything, just draw a fucking picture or something." Rachel rolled her eyes and flipped over the page again. Without even writing anything she held up the notepad.

_GO AWAY SANTANA. _

Wait, did she already have that one prepared? "Did you already have that one prepared?" Rachel turned the page again.

_YES._

Dear god. This was definitely not worth it. How was it possible that Rachel was even more annoying than usual without actually speaking? Santana shook her head and mumbled a _good luck_ to her ridiculous roommate before spinning on her heels and turning towards the door. Just as she was about to leave the room, she felt a sharp object hit her in the back. Santana spun around, all ready to beat the crap out of Berry for throwing her pen at her, but stopped herself when she saw she was holding up her pad of paper with what looked like a very poorly drawn pair of jeans on it. She rolled her eyes and smiled, thanking Rachel before running off to her room to get changed. And making a mental note never to be on Rachel's team if they ever play Pictionary.

**…**

An hour later, Rachel had finally left after a grand total of three nervous breakdowns, Santana was ready, dressed casually in black jeans and a low-cut top, and Kurt was just about to leave for his date with Blaine.

"Sooo, how do I look?" Kurt asked as he did a strange sort of pirouette thing in the kitchen. Santana was pretty sure this was at least the fifth outfit he'd tried on.

"Fine." Santana muttered without even looking up from her seat at the island. She was far too concerned with the fact that it was ten to seven, and Brittany was expected to arrive in ten minutes. _Ten minutes._

"Santana, you didn't even look at my outfit." He said with a huff, folding his arms across his chest. "I want your real opinion." She sighed and looked up from her phone which she'd been staring at for the better part of fifteen minutes, expecting it to light up any minute with a message from Brittany saying she couldn't make it.

"You mean aside from the scarf?" He rolled his eyes and nodded, before doing another weird twirly thing. "You look great, Hummel. Blaine isn't going to be able to take his eyes off you." Santana said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. Seemingly satisfied, Kurt nodded. A few minutes of silence later, he began pacing back and forth.

"I just really want tonight to go well. Blaine is so dreamy and _so_ right for me, and we had the best conversation the other night. We just clicked you know? Oh and I bet he's going to look so cute-"

"Look Lady Hummel. As happy as I am for you and every other gay citizen in the state of New York that you have bagged yourself such a _dreamy _guy, I really don't want to hear the details. And your nervous pacing is giving me a headache." She glanced back down to her phone. _6.53. Holy shit. Seven minutes._

"Aw, is someone a little nervous for their date with Brittany?" He cooed and Santana shot him a glare. "Okay, okay, no need to look at me like that. I'm sure it'll go wonderfully. You look divine, dinner is the oven and Brittany is going to love it." Santana let herself smile a little. She had decided to cook for Brittany, and was planning a chilled out evening, drinking wine and chatting, maybe watching a movie or two. Very low-pressure. But also cute. And romantic. And hopefully with some sexy time at the end… "I still can't believe that all this time Santana Lopez actually played for my team..." Kurt mused as he took out a compact mirror and began readjusting his hair. "I'm almost hurt that you didn't tell me." He added as he lifted his hand to his heart in feigned offense.

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly know myself, Hummel." Santana responded with a shrug and got up to peer into the oven for the thousandth time. Kurt nodded and put his mirror back into his purse. _Yes, he had a purse._

"I can understand. Although I guess I always had my suspicions. So…" He began, shifting a little awkwardly and suddenly finding his shoes extremely interesting. "Dare I ask if Quinn knows?" The unexpected words caused Santana to whip her head up to glare at him. It's almost like he could tell she'd been putting off telling her.

"Um… I don't know." He looked at her strangely before she rolled her eyes and continued. "I mean, Q's always known a little about my… _tendencies. _But I don't think she _knows. _And she definitely doesn't know about me and Brittany. At least I hope she doesn't. Shit, is she gonna freak when I tell her?" Out of everyone, Santana knew Quinn the best, and she thought she probably already knew the answer to that, but it might be nice to have an outsider's opinion. However, just as Kurt opened his mouth to respond, the door buzzer sounded. _Ohmygod. _Santana all but sprinted over to the front door and pressed the button to let Brittany into the building.

"She's here!" She practically screamed at Kurt who almost stumbled backwards. "And so are you! Shit, why are you still here?" Kurt walked over to her, took a deep breath and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders.

"Santana, listen to me. You are a strong, confident woman. And you can do this." He recited, looking straight into her eyes.

"You sound like one of those quit smoking commercials." Santana deadpanned. "But thanks. I'm just kinda nervous." She added, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Do you need me to slap you again?" Kurt asked in all seriousness and Santana shook her head with a chuckle. A knock startled them both and Santana turned her head to stare at the front door. She shouldn't be nervous. She wasn't really, she was more excited than anything. It's just this date felt so _real. _Sure, they'd been to Breadstixx, and had that picnic at the lake, but that was when everything was still all so new. Tonight felt even more special. "Santana? Jesus, open the door woman." Santana, realising she'd been frozen to the spot and just gawping like an idiot at the door, shook herself from her daze and took a deep breath.

"Hey!" Brittany sung around an enormous grin and it was enough for Santana to wonder what the hell she was so nervous about. This was _Brittany. _Beautiful, sweet Brittany who was looking incredibly sexy right now. She was wearing grey jeans and a blue jumper, and an adorable bobble hat sat on top of her long, slightly wavy hair. She was really working that _I didn't make an effort but still look super hot thing._

"Hi." Santana responded around a large smile. She let herself get lost in blue eyes for a moment, blue eyes which were so bright and happy to see her, and found herself leaning forward. Suddenly not caring that Kurt was still here, Santana placed a soft kiss to Brittany's lips. She felt the blonde smile, a little surprised by the action but very much okay with it. When she pulled back, Santana would have closed the door and done it all over again just to recreate the goofy smile on Brittany's face right now.

"I brought wine." Brittany announced, still grinning. "Quinn said it's your favourite." Santana melted as a little blush crept across that beautiful face.

"Thanks, Britt-Britt." She was pretty sure her face was going to start hurting soon with how much she was smiling as she took the bottle of red being held out to her. Suddenly Brittany looked a little awkward as she glanced over Santana's shoulder with a strange expression. Wait, why was she looking-

"Aw, aren't you two just adorable?" Santana whipped around to see Kurt standing right behind her, staring at the both of them with a creepy smile.

"Kurt. Leave. Now." He lifted his hands defensively and grabbed his purse before squeezing past them and out into the corridor. He yelled for them to have a nice evening with a knowing smirk before Santana slammed the door.

"Sorry about that, Britt." Santana said and Brittany let out an airy giggle. "Now come here, I missed you."

**…**

"Oh my god! Santana, this is incredible!" Brittany practically groaned as she shovelled her second helping of carbonara into her mouth, causing Santana to giggle. She and Brittany were sat on the sofa, eating their dinner with a glass of wine and chatting away happily. She couldn't help but think this date was going perfectly. "Why did you not tell me you cooked?" Santana thought for a second before leaning in and narrowing her eyes, as if letting Brittany in on a secret.

"See, Britt, I have to be very careful when it comes to people finding out about my culinary skills." Brittany nodded very seriously and Santana sucked in her lips to stop herself from smiling. "Otherwise Hummel and Berry might find out and stop cooking stuff for me." Santana added with a grin as she helped herself to another mouthful of pasta, which she had to admit was pretty fucking good. Brittany shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Well your secret's safe with me." She replied with a smile before groaning again as she took another mouthful. "Where did you learn?" She asked, genuinely interested as she took a sip of wine.

"My abuela taught me. She used to force me to help her with whatever she was cooking. I remember how she used to go through each recipe step by step until I knew it off by heart. I secretly loved it though. It was always my favourite part about visiting her." Santana said with a shy smile as she took a sip of her own wine.

"Aw I can just see a tiny Santana running round with a little apron on! You must have been so cute!" Brittany squealed and Santana grinned, thinking that she was pretty sure _Brittany _was the cute one.

"I was pretty cute…" Santana said with a causal shrug which made Brittany laugh.

"And you still are." Brittany replied, a tiny blush creeping over her cheeks which Santana thought was adorable. She set down her bowl on the coffee table and turned to face Brittany properly, quirking an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" The blonde nodded.

"Yup." Brittany said matter-of-factly as she placed her bowl next to Santana's. Santana grinned and shook her head.

"More?" She questioned, grabbing the two bowls and standing up from the couch.

"Wine? Definitely." Brittany responded with a smirk and Santana chuckled before making her way over to the kitchen area. What was she so nervous about? This was so _easy._ "So Rachel's got her Funny Girl audition tonight? That's amazing." Brittany called as Santana dumped the bowls in the sink and grabbed the bottle of wine from the fridge.

"Mm yeah." She filled up Brittany's glass and her own as she sat back down.

"She must be super nervous. How's she been handling it?" Santana took a swig of wine and eyed Brittany over the rim of her glass.

"How you do think?" Brittany giggled and lifted her leg up onto the sofa to face Santana properly. "Try being on the other end of a full blown Rachel Berry rant, only she's not speaking in order to rest her voice, so the whole thing is done in gestures and sign language. It's a freaking wonder she made it to the audition with her face still in one piece." Brittany laughed softly, a sound which went straight to Santana's stomach and warmed it deliciously. She was sure she could listen to that laugh all day.

"So Kurt has a date, huh?" Brittany asked, pulling Santana from her little bubble.

"Oh, yeah. With a friend of yours actually. Blaine? Apparently they met at the Halloween party. Guess we now know where Lady Hummel disappeared off to for half the night." Brittany's eyes widened and her lips curved into an excited smile.

"Blaine? Ah, that's so great for Kurt! He's the best!" She squealed, jumping up and down in her seat. "I mean, he wears some super weird bowties but still, he's so nice! He was really good friends with me and Sam at school." As soon as she mentioned Sam's name, Santana noticed Brittany's smile falter a little. The blonde looked worriedly down at her glass. "Sorry about Sam by the way… I completely forgot about him working at Lola's, and I had no idea he'd be doing your trial shift. And now you guys have to work together and I feel so bad and-" Santana swallowed the rest of Brittany's words with her lips. She felt Brittany relax and sigh into the kiss as she gripped around the Latina's neck to steady herself. Santana eventually pulled back but held Brittany close, looking deep into those blue eyes.

"Britt, you worry too much." She watched as Brittany's lips curved up into a bashful smile and couldn't help but place another quick kiss there before continuing. "I don't care about Sam. In fact, I know he's your friend so I kind of apologised to him." Brittany let her mouth drop open a little in feigned surprise.

"Santana Lopez apologised?" Santana grinned and rolled her eyes at the playful teasing, before settling back into the sofa and taking Brittany's hand to rest in her lap.

"I said kind of. But yes, we're fine now. And you have nothing to feel guilty for because _you," _She placed a soft kiss to Brittany's palm."Got me this job, and I can't tell you how much that means. So stop worrying and drink your wine woman." Brittany giggled and obeyed, taking a large gulp of red wine, enough to fill her cheeks and make her look like a chipmunk which Santana couldn't help but laugh affectionately at. _This girl just keeps getting more adorable._

**…**

Okay so this was Santana's favourite date ever. Scratch that, this was her favourite _evening _ever. They hadn't even done anything particularly special, it was just _Brittany. _The two of them had drunk wine whilst chatting and flirting easily for the past couple of hours, occasionally stealing quick kisses and exchanging bashful smiles, and now they were curled up under Santana's duvet on the sofa well into their second movie. Santana couldn't think of anywhere else she'd rather be right now.

Usually Santana loved Mean Girls, and she hadn't been able to hide her goofy smile when Brittany said she'd chosen it because it was Santana's favourite, but right now she couldn't really concentrate on her favourite film. Santana was far too preoccupied with how close Brittany now was to her. Throughout the movie, Brittany had slowly inched closer and closer. First, she'd just lifted her legs onto the couch and snuggled a little against the Latina's shoulder, but now she was lying with her head in Santana's lap, humming appreciatively as she slowly stroked her fingers through soft blonde hair. Santana couldn't help but smile happily as she remembered many a sleepover when they were little that would end up just like this. Brittany had always said how much she liked it when Santana played with her hair, as they stayed up late and watched movies which they'd seen a thousand times. Only they would end up not really watching them at all, instead exchanging stories and telling each other secrets. Santana loved those nights, and couldn't help but think of the amazingness of being here with Brittany, all these years later as if nothing had changed.

"Can you tell me a secret?" Brittany asked in a relaxed voice above the soft sounds of the TV, as if just reliving the same memories as Santana. The Latina smiled to herself as she continued to lazily comb through blonde hair.

"A secret?" Santana asked around her grin.

"Mm yeah. You know, like we used to." Santana hummed in thought as she twirled a strand of blonde around her fingers.

"Um… I really like you. Like, _really _like you." She said in a shy voice, feeling a slight blush heat her cheeks. She knew that sounded kind of corny, but that's what was in her head, so she said it. Santana smiled as she heard Brittany chuckle softly.

"Not really much of a secret, Santana. But still cute." Santana grinned harder and rolled her eyes before nudging Brittany's shoulder.

"Okay, then. You go." Santana peered over to see Brittany's brow scrunch up adorably as she thought hard.

"Hmm… okay, I have one." Santana watched, amused at how Brittany began to shift awkwardly in her lap. "Um… you were sort of…like… my firsmmnkmsn…" She quickly mumbled the last part as she buried her face into Santana's thigh.

"What was that, Britt-Britt?" Santana asked around an amused grin as she tried to pry the embarrassed blonde away from her hiding place. Brittany muttered something incoherent again and Santana couldn't help the affectionate laugh which escaped her lips. _Brittany was just so goddamn cute right now._ "Britt!" She breathed around her laugh, prodding the blonde's sides who eventually sat up, an adorable blush on her cheeks. Brittany knelt back, fiddling shyly with her fingers and biting her lip before rolling her eyes and smiling bashfully.

"You were kind of my first… _kiss_." Brittany announced as she hid her face in her hands. Santana felt herself unconsciously smiling at her adorable words as she shifted herself to face Brittany and pull her hands away from her face.

"How do you mean?" She asked softly to the blushing blonde as she took her hand in both of hers.

"Well, you remember that one time in like the fifth grade… when I said I was scared about kissing Jerry Goldman and you… you said you'd show me?" Santana nodded, smiling as she remembered how her best friend had been in such a panic when she'd heard Gerry was going to ask her out. The young blonde had rushed over to Santana's house after school and sat in her room in a complete fluster, saying she had no idea if she was a good kisser or not. Santana felt herself blush a little as she recalled the way she'd placed her hands on her friend's cheeks, leant in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. When she pulled back, she remembered how Brittany had smiled, and how Santana had told her that that was how to do it, and that she had nothing to worry about. "Well… that was the first time anybody had kissed me… I never told you that." Santana felt herself smiling again, and couldn't help the way she was so lovingly staring at the blonde. "It's stupid." Brittany muttered and looked down, embarrassed.

"It's adorable." Santana corrected and affectionately squeezed the hand she was holding between her own. In fact, it was probably the most adorable thing Santana had ever heard, and she couldn't ignore the sense of pride she felt that she had been Brittany's first kiss. It felt kind of… right. Brittany finally lifted her gaze and those blue eyes found Santana's again. "I'm honoured, Britt." Santana added with a grin and watched those beautiful pink lips curve up into a smile. Santana couldn't stop herself as she leaned in and kissed them, soft and delicately, just like she had done all those years ago. When they broke apart, Santana lifted a hand and stroked it gently over Brittany's soft cheek, before pushing a stray strand of blonde behind her ear. Brittany hummed quietly, a sound which warmed every inch of Santana's body, and leaned into the Latina's touch. "You know… that kiss meant so much to me. I don't think I quite realised how much at the time, but it's like… even then, when we were too young to understand… I think we kind of always knew there was something more, you know? That it _meant _so much more." Santana stated softly, surprised at the truth of the words which she'd never been able to find. Brittany nodded and laced her fingers through Santana's.

"Do you believe in fate?" Her blue eyes flicked between Santana's own, searching softly.

"I think now I do." Brittany smiled at Santana's response. The Latina's breath caught in her throat as Brittany gently ran her hand along her jaw, resting it behind her neck as she pulled her in towards her for a deeper kiss. Their lips connected and Santana melted. She didn't think she'd ever get used to the way it made her feel when Brittany kissed her. She loved it. She loved _her._

"I love you." The words just sort of left her mouth as soon as Brittany's lips did. _Oh my god. Did she really just say that?_ She knew she'd been thinking it, she'd been thinking it for a while now, even if she hadn't quite realised it, but she hadn't meant for it to just come out. Santana looked to Brittany, whose eyes were wide and staring back at her with a surprised expression. Shit, was it too soon? This was what, their third date? They weren't even officially together yet. No, Santana knew it was so much more than that. Brittany had been her best friend ever since the blonde had helped her up after falling over in ballet class, and she was pretty sure she'd loved her ever since. She _loved _her. "I love you, Britt." Santana decided to say again, partly because she wasn't a hundred percent sure she hadn't imagined it the first time, and also because Brittany still hadn't said anything. She was just looking back at her, her lips slightly apart, her eyes boring deep into her own. "I- I'm _in _love with you, Brittany. I think I always have been." Santana was surprised at how confidently she spoke considering how completely terrified she felt on the inside. A good terrified though, if that makes sense. She let her eyes close as she continued. "A-and you don't have to say anything. I just- I need you to know. Because you mean so much to me, and you're my best friend and… and no one has ever looked at me the way you do, or made me feel the way you do. And I never want to lose you again, I- I love you." Santana couldn't believe how much she was pouring out, how much of herself she was letting show, the kind of emotions she usually kept so safely locked away. But she wanted Brittany to hear it, she _deserved _to hear it. When she finally opened her eyes, all the air disappeared from her lungs as she saw the way Brittany was looking at her. Beautiful blue eyes were glossed over with unshed tears and staring at her so softly, and her lips were curved up into a wide smile.

Brittany took Santana's other hand, which was shaking slightly, into her own and held it tight. "I love you too, Santana." _Oh. My. God. _Santana let out a deep breath and felt an enormous smile stretch across her lips when she heard what she was pretty sure were the best words she had ever heard, or would ever hear again. Brittany _loved _her. _Brittany _loved _her. _Would it be weird to cry right now? Okay, yes, don't cry. "I am so in love with you. I always have been. And… even though we lost each other for a bit, I know now that I was always meant to come back to you. I _love_ you." Santana scooted herself closer to Brittany, still feeling herself grinning stupidly.

"Can I kiss you now?" She whispered as she watched Brittany's lips quiver in response, barely allowing her to breath out a quiet _yes_, before she crashed her lips onto hers. Santana's eyes fell closed and she let herself melt into a deep, passionate kiss. Tingles shot through her body at the way their lips moved so perfectly together and their tongues brushed against each other's, and she knew then in that moment that they belonged together. They always did. When they broke apart, Santana opened her eyes and caught her breath again, because this was the girl she loved, and the girl that loved her, and she couldn't look more beautiful right now.

"Say it again." Brittany whispered with an enormous smile. Santana leaned in, closing the distance between them once more, and ghosted her lips ever so lightly over the blonde's.

"I…" Santana placed the softest of kisses to Brittany's lips. "…love…" She kissed her gently again, watching her eyes flutter closed. "…you." Santana lifted her hand to brush through blonde hair and pulled her hard against her lips.

_Yep, definitely best date ever._

**…**


	18. Chapter 18

HEY GUYS! So sorry for the unusually long wait, I've been crazy busy with exams. I debated over whether or not to post this yet, because it's just a bit of an in between chapter with not a whole lot of plot, but seeing as you guys have already waited long enough I thought I'd post it anyway! Soo thank you for the reviews, especially naynay1963 and AlabamaMiles - definitely some of the best reviews yet! Really appreciate hearing what all you guys think, thank you. Also, I've decided to jump on the tumblr bandwagon, so check it out Ejoy! x

Chapter 18:

Santana had to admit, life was pretty fucking fantastic right now. She'd been working at Lola's for a couple of weeks and she was kind of surprised how much she was loving it. Well you know, as much as anyone could really love work. Her shifts were usually every other evening so fit in with her studies fine, and she was mostly behind the bar, mixing and serving drinks. Sure, the pay wasn't incredible, and she'd had to get used to a few pervy customers with their crude attempts at pick-up lines and extremely unsubtle leering after one too many jack and cokes, but it was easy work. She got tipped well (she'd learnt it didn't hurt to wear a shirt with a little extra cleavage on show), it was awesome having Puck as her boss, and her friends were in there often enough having a drink and keeping her entertained. And of course, Brittany stopped by whenever she could to keep Santana company (and she definitely didn't object to the low-cut shirts).

So things were looking pretty great. Firstly, it looked like they were going to have enough money to keep the apartment, at least for now. Also, Kurt was all mushy and loved-up with Blaine, who Santana had decided was a pretty decent guy, despite his ridiculous taste in bow-ties and far too over-enthusiastic use of hair gel. Rachel had gotten a call-back for Funny Girl, so was of course over the moon. Santana had to admit she was happy for her friend, even though it meant the early morning vocal warm ups had gotten even louder and more unbearable, and her apparently constant need to be in character was intensely annoying. But still, Santana was proud of her. And as for her and Brittany, everything was pretty damn perfect. It had been two amazing weeks since she'd told her she'd loved her, and Santana had hardly been able to get that night out of her head. Even now, as she was standing behind the bar at Lola's, absentmindedly wiping the same spot with her dishcloth over and over again, she couldn't help but let her mind wander back to that insanely perfect evening.

**… **

_"I love hearing you say that." Brittany said around an enormous grin as she played with Santana's hand, who was sitting facing her on the sofa. _

_"You do, huh?" The Latina smiled, staring lovingly at the blonde who she hadn't been able to tear her eyes away from for the past ten minutes. Brittany nodded, looking up and meeting her gaze. "In that case, I love you." Santana said with a smile, shuffling a little closer. _

_"It sounds kind of amazing." Brittany laced her fingers through Santana's, a huge grin fighting its way across her lips. "And totally sexy." She added and bit down on her bottom lip. Santana felt herself heat up just from the way Brittany was now looking at her, blue eyes tracing slowly over her features, studying every part of her, lingering at plump lips before flickering up to brown eyes again. _

_"Y-yeah?" Santana managed lamely in response. She could feel her breathing picking up already and her skin was burning where Brittany's fingers were playing with her hand. Without warning Brittany put a hand on Santana's shoulder and swung one leg over her, straddling her lap. Santana's breath caught and her hands instinctively went to sit on the blonde's waist. _

_"Yeah." Brittany traced a finger slowly over the bare skin of Santana's shoulder, stroking it over her collarbone and dipping it down between her breasts, exposed by the low neckline of her top. The touch caused a shiver over Santana's body and she glanced up to meet blue eyes, darkened with lust and a tiny smirk on Brittany's face. "And it really turns me on." Brittany added in a low whisper as she leant down and placed a soft kiss just under the brunette's jaw. Santana felt her eyes flutter close and her hands moved around to rest on Brittany's lower back, gently pulling her closer. _

_"Brittany…" She breathed, loving the feeling of the blonde's lips pressing light kisses all over her neck. Brittany lifted her head to look at Santana and smiled, staring at her with a look Santana knew she would never get tired of seeing._

_ "I love you." Brittany whispered, leaning in close so that their lips were barely inches apart. _

_"I love you too, baby." Santana replied a little breathlessly, her lips ghosting over Brittany's with the softest of touches. Brittany grinned before gripping the Latina's neck and pulling her hard against her lips. Santana's hands gripped Brittany's back tighter as she pulled her flush against her body. A moan escaped her as their mouths parted to deepen the kiss and Brittany's tongue found hers immediately. Santana felt the desire growing within her as Brittany arched into her, breasts pressed against hers, breathing heavy. Their lips moved against each other's almost desperately, hands exploring frantically as the room suddenly seemed to get a thousand degrees hotter._

_ Brittany broke the kiss and began to once again attack Santana's throat, sucking and nipping, spurred on by the gasps and moans filling the apartment. Santana gripped Brittany's hips hard and pulled her even tighter against her, another wave of heat rushing over her as she felt their centers press together. _

_"We're alone… all night, right?" Brittany mumbled breathlessly as she continued to suck at her pulse point, eliciting another groan from the Latina. Santana, completely overcome by desire and want, only managed a hum in response, but that was all the confirmation Brittany needed as she began tugging aggressively at the bottom of Santana's shirt. Santana lifted her arms and Brittany abandoned her assault on her neck for a second to pull the garment up and over her head. She smiled for a moment before she returned her lips to Santana's throat, sucking and nipping as her hands began to explore her tanned stomach. Santana's whole body heated up as Brittany's fingers traced over the smooth skin of her abdomen, softly tracing the contours of her abs and leaving burning trails behind them. Santana could now feel the heat gathering between her legs, she needed more. She let her hands slide under the material of Brittany's jumper, feeling the soft skin of her waist. Brittany immediately sat back and pulled the top over her head, tossing it to the floor and smirking as Santana's eyes raked over her toned stomach and pink lacy bra._

_ "You're beautiful." Santana breathed as she ran her hands up and down the blonde's sides, before leaning up and claiming her lips once again. She heard Brittany whimper quietly into the kiss. She could tell Brittany was just as turned on as she was as she began slowly grinding down into her, moaning softly each time their centres came into contact. Fuck, this was hot. Santana was so filled with desire and need; this was the girl she loved, and she needed so badly to show her that. As they continued to kiss deeply and passionately, Santana's fingers scratched lightly over the soft skin of Brittany's back, inching upwards to find the last piece of material covering those perfect breasts. With quick and shaky hands she unclasped her bra and let it slide down her arms. Brittany sucked on Santana's bottom lip before releasing it wetly and sitting up, letting her bra fall onto her lap and discarding it off the couch. Santana's eyes instantly fell to her breasts, round and perfect, as she slid her hands slowly up her toned stomach, watching the muscles quiver under her touch. Another wave of heat flooded over her, watching Brittany's eyes flutter closed as her hands made their way up to cup her boobs. Santana watched in awe as Brittany's mouth parted slowly, a small gasp escaping from it as she ran soft fingers over her nipples, which hardened almost immediately under her touch. She leaned up to find Brittany's lips again, swallowing her gasps in a deep kiss as she continued to stroke and pinch her hard nipples. _

_"Fuck-" Brittany cursed breathlessly against her lips, grinding down again and arching her chest into her touch. Santana broke the kiss and began aggressively kissing and sucking at the skin of her neck, another wave of arousal flooding through her. It was so hot hearing Brittany swear like this because she hardly ever did. Santana continued her rough kisses down her throat and over her collarbone and Brittany's hand shot up to grip dark hair, guiding her down gently. Santana more than willingly obliged, one hand continuing to kneed Brittany's breast as her mouth moved down to the other before taking the nipple in her mouth and sucking gently. Brittany gasped, much louder this time, her fingers gripping tighter in brown locks as Santana's tongue flicked out and swirled around the bud. "God- that feels amazing Santana!"_

_ All Santana could think about was how turned on she was right now and how fucking hot it was hearing Brittany gasp and moan like this. She released her nipple, before dusting soft kisses across to the other and wrapping her lips around it, receiving a high-pitched whimper from the blonde. She sucked hard and Brittany rocked down into her, more forcefully this time, causing Santana to groan as their centres made contact once more. She poked her tongue out again, flicking it over her rock hard nipple and felt Brittany shudder against her as she ever so lightly grazed it with her teeth. She sucked hard once more, before releasing it wetly and lifting her head to capture Brittany's lips again. The kiss deepened immediately and Brittany's tongue slid into her mouth as they both inhaled sharply through their noses. Santana felt her stomach twinge with arousal as Brittany's hands moved behind her back and swiftly undid her bra. Santana broke the kiss to pull it off completely and toss it onto the sofa beside them. The girls stared at each other, exposed chests heaving, eyes dark with lust, before grinning and reconnecting their lips again. Santana had to break away almost immediately though to moan when Brittany's hands slid up her stomach and cupped the curves of breasts. Her breathing caught when Brittany's thumbs swiped over her already hard nipples, before pinching them between her fingers._

_ "Ugh, Britt, that's- yes that's so good-" She panted as Brittany continued to play with her nipples and suck at her neck. Brittany was so fucking good at this and Santana knew she was already wet. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage as Brittany trailed her tongue down her throat and over her collarbone before flicking it over her nipple. Santana's eyes fell closed and she gasped as Brittany continued to flick the end of her tongue over her rock hard nipple, jolts of pleasure rushing through her each time. She opened her eyes to look down and saw Brittany looking up at her, smirking before wrapping her lips around her nipple and sucking. Hard. "Holy fuck-" Santana threw her head back against the sofa, relishing the amazing feeling tingling all over her body. She heard a wet pop as Brittany released her nipple and lifted her head to place soft kisses at the corner of her mouth and under her jaw. Santana shivered when Brittany's hot breath tickled her ear as the blonde whispered huskily. _

_"I love you, and I want you so bad right now." Santana roughly captured Brittany's lips and kissed her deeply, reaching down to her own jeans and unbuttoning them swiftly. Santana gasped against her lips as she felt Brittany's hand trailing slowly down in between their bodies before dipping under the fabric of her underwear. She moaned in pleasure and relief as Brittany's finger parted her folds and ever so lightly circled her clit. Brittany broke the kiss to gasp and hooded blue eyes bored into Santana's own. "Wow. You're so wet." She husked as she dragged her finger down the length of her folds and back up to that sensitive spot. Santana couldn't speak; her breathing was way too heavy and she was way too turned on right now. She knew she was wet, this was possibly the wettest she had ever been. "Is this all for me?" Brittany asked, a mischievous smile on her lips as she continued to tease her finger up and down, hovering around her entrance. All Santana could do was nod frantically and let her eyes fall closed again._

_ Her eyes shot open and she looked down, confused, when she felt the hand retreat from her underwear and Brittany lift herself off her. Her heart rate picked up again however when Brittany knelt on the floor in front of her, that wicked grin still plastered on her lips. Brittany's hands hooked the waistband of her jeans and Santana lifted her hips so that she could pull them all the way off, taking her underwear with them. She felt herself shiver as Brittany ran her hands softly up and down her thighs, before gripping behind her knees and pulling her towards her so that she was sitting on the each of the seat. If this was anyone else, Santana would have felt totally vulnerable right now, sitting legs parted, open and exposed, darkened blue eyes boring into her. But this was Brittany. And the way the blonde was now staring hungrily at her exposed centre turned her on so much. Brittany's hands continued to softly stroke Santana's tanned thighs as she looked up to meet brown eyes._

_ "Is this… have you ever done this before?" Brittany's voice was husky and she sounded so turned on right now, but her eyes were searching hers with so much love and care. Santana shook her head, her breathing still heavy and heat still pooling between her legs._

_ "N-no." Santana replied, her voice a little shaky. It was true, she'd never done this with a girl before. She'd always felt that was one step too far and it had never been a line she'd been able to cross. Doing all that other stuff with girls was one thing, but this just seemed so… intimate._

_ "Do you… want me to?" Brittany asked gently, blue eyes still searching her own. Santana nodded embarrassingly eagerly causing a soft smile to appear on Brittany's lips. She had never been able to bring herself to do this before, but right now, seeing Brittany between her legs, there was nothing she wanted to feel more."You're gonna love it. And you look super hot right now by the way." She said, placing a soft kiss to the inside of Santana's thigh. She shivered at the feeling of Brittany's lips so close to her heat. Brittany's hands gripped her thighs as she continued to press kisses on their soft skin, the throbbing between Santana's legs almost unbearable now. She watched Brittany shuffle closer and gently push her legs apart, all the while not breaking eye-contact. She stopped breathing entirely when Brittany placed the softest of kisses to her center._

_ It was like nothing she had felt before. Brittany ran her tongue slowly through her folds as Santana moaned appreciatively, locking her arms and leaning back on them. Back arched, head thrown back, Santana gasped as Brittany's tongue traced soft circles over her most sensitive spot. As much as she instinctively wanted to screw her eyes shut tight, Santana forced herself to open them and look down, and holy fuck- She was so glad she did, because it was insanely hot seeing Brittany with her head between her thighs._

_ "Oh my- Fuck!" Santana moaned loudly as Brittany began flicking the tip of her tongue over her clit, sending a delicious wave of pleasure through her each time. Brittany moved down and Santana gasped when she felt her tongue push inside of her. "Ugh- That feels… so… good, Britt-" She felt Brittany hum against her, sending vibrations through her and more waves of pleasure. She was pretty sure her body couldn't deal with this. Brittany's name left her lips over and over as her tongue continued to thrust inside of her and it took all Santana's restraint not to buck her hips up wildly into those soft lips. Her mind went completely blank however when Brittany moved up and wrapped her lips around her clit, sucking hard. "G-God…" It felt so amazing Santana could hardly stand it. She knew she was close. When Brittany's tongue poked out again and flicked over her sensitive spot, Santana's hand shot up to her head to hold her in place, feeling an overwhelming pleasure shoot through her. "Oh god- right there! Baby, please don't… stop- ugh!" Santana gasped as Brittany began flicking the tip of her tongue repeatedly over her clit. "I- I'm gonna…" Santana could feel herself about to come undone, her whole body tensing as waves of pleasure began to rock through her._

_"Let go for me baby." Brittany said softly against her, before wrapping her lips around her clit again and sucking hard. Santana held her breath and finally found her release. Her hips bucked up and her whole body froze as she came hard with a gasp of Brittany's name._

_ Brittany continued to gently stroke her tongue over her, letting her ride out her orgasm before sitting up, licking her lips and falling next to Santana on the couch. They lay there for a few moments, breathing still heavy, as Santana recovered from her high. "Oh my god." Santana said eventually, a lazy smile stretching over her lips as she pulled Brittany close to her. "That was…"_

_ "Incredible." Brittany finished for her, wrapping her arms around Santana's waist and pulling her into a deep kiss. Santana moaned a little as she tasted herself on Brittany, feeling arousal tug at her stomach again. Without warning, she flipped them and straddled Brittany, who was now lying flat beneath her on the sofa. She stared down at her with a devilish smirk._

_ "Your turn." _

**… **

"Lopez!" Santana was jolted from her delicious memory when she heard Puck's voice from behind her. "That guy's been waiting for a drink for ten minutes. Get your ass in gear!"

"Oh, calm your tits Puckerman." Santana replied with an eye roll, trying her best to push thoughts of a naked Brittany out of her head and hide the fact that she was now decidedly turned on at work. She swung the dishcloth over her shoulder and poured whiskey into a glass before sliding it over to the middle-aged man at the end of the bar with her sweetest smile. Lola's was pretty quiet seeing as it was just after 7 on a Wednesday evening; some of their regulars were sat at the bar and a few couples were drinking and chatting quietly in some of the booths. Santana liked it like this; she liked the time to relax and think before the bustle of the night started and the bar would begin to fill up.

Her peace and quiet was interrupted again however, when Puck ordered her to go and get some more rum from the storeroom. She huffed, although she was more than happy to get away from the leering of the creepy man she'd just given a drink, and pushed open the swing door to the back. She began searching the shelves of the dark storeroom for the brand of rum they needed, and just as she let her mind drift back to delicious images of Brittany, she felt familiar arms snake around her waist.

"Hey you." The way hot breath hit the back of Santana's neck as the words were whispered in her ear really didn't help her turned on state and sent tingles throughout her body. Santana turned around in Brittany's arms to face her and felt a goofy smile appear on her lips as she met those beautiful blue eyes staring back at her. Brittany had been at class most of the day, and was still in her dance gear, wearing grey sweats and a tight blue tank top. And looking extremely sexy.

"Britt, you know you're not meant to be back here." Santana told her, although her enormous grin was anything but threatening. Brittany stuck out her bottom lip playfully as she began to fiddle with the material of Santana's white shirt.

"I know, but I missed you today." She said sweetly, her gaze fixed to where her fingers were toying with the hem of the Latina's blouse. Santana couldn't help but smile at her adorable words and lifted a hand to stroke Brittany's cheek softly.

"I missed you too, baby." She whispered, cupping Brittany's face and pulling her in for a soft kiss. She heard Brittany sigh happily against her lips as the arms around her waist pulled her closer. She felt Brittany's hands snake under the material of her shirt and heat flooded through her as soft fingers brushed over her stomach. Brittany deepened the kiss, pushing her tongue inside Santana's mouth and receiving a moan as she brought her hands up to squeeze her breasts over the fabric of her bra. "Britt-" She gasped. Brittany hummed in response as her hands continued to explore Santana's toned stomach and knead at her breasts. Santana's head was spinning deliciously while Brittany's warm tongue fought against her own, her fingers continuing to leave burning trails all over her skin. She could barely think straight as Brittany pushed her hard against the shelves and began attacking her throat with her lips. All Santana knew was that she was far too turned on right now and that they really shouldn't be doing this at work. She'd been back here way longer than it took to get some rum and Puck would probably come looking for her soon.

"Britt." Santana whispered, gently pushing at Brittany's shoulders to create some much needed distance between them. Brittany removed her lips from her neck and took an unsteady step backwards, looking back at her with darkened eyes and an adorable pout. "W-we should stop." Santana said shakily, the look in Brittany's eyes making it very hard for her to sound convincing. Brittany bit her lip with a coy smile and pressed herself into the darker girl again.

"Yeah, we probably should." She agreed, although the way she was staring at Santana's lips and hovering her finger just above the waistline of her jeans said otherwise. Santana lost all internal battles with herself and inhaled sharply when Brittany hooked her finger in her belt loop and pulled her closer.

"I'm… I'm at work." Santana breathed out as Brittany's mouth ghosted over hers. Brittany simply nodded as she took Santana's bottom lip in her own and sucked gently. "P-puck might come in." Brittany nodded again before kissing her fully and sliding her tongue into her mouth once more. So not fair. How the hell was Santana meant to argue when Brittany kissed like _this?_ She hummed against the blonde's lips and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her flush against her.

"Lopez, where the hell- oh." The two girls jumped apart, Brittany stumbling backwards a little as Puck suddenly barged into the dark storeroom. Santana straightened out her shirt and frantically slid a hand though her messy hair, looking down at the floor as a blush crept over her cheeks. Brittany looked similarly embarrassed. "So this was why it was taking you so long." Puck said with a wicked grin as he eyed the two flustered girls. "Now as hot as this is, _believe me_," Santana rolled her eyes. "You're meant to be working right now, and I need you and your fine ass behind the bar. And that rum." He added, pointing at the shelf stacked with bottles behind Santana, before chuckling and turning towards the door. "Good to see you, Blondie." He winked at Brittany over his shoulder as he disappeared out of the room. Santana let out a deep breath and turned to Brittany, shooting her a mock glare and making her giggle.

"Sorry." She said innocently with a grin, but Santana knew she really wasn't sorry at all. "Yeah, right." She replied sarcastically, matching her smile as she grabbed two bottles of expensive rum off the shelf. "I hope you're happy that you got me all hot and bothered and now I have to go work." She added with a playful pout, walking over to the door before turning back to Brittany.

"Aw baby, I'm sorry." Brittany cooed, smiling as she stroked Santana's face. "I can't help it though, you look so sexy today." Santana's heart warmed with her words and she leant up to place a chaste kiss on pink lips.

"So do you." She replied with a grin as Brittany scrunched up her nose and glanced down at her own outfit.

"Santana, I'm just in sweats. I've been dancing all day and I'm all sweaty and gross." Santana kissed away her pout, before pushing some stray blonde hair behind Brittany's ear and smiling widely.

"You always look sexy." Brittany rolled her eyes as a slight blush crawled over her cheeks. "Now I gotta go, otherwise I'm gonna kiss you again and Puck will get another eye-full." She added with a grin and Brittany chuckled. "Will you be back later?"

"Yeah. Rachel's coming with, and Blaine said he and Kurt may drop by for a drink." She told Santana as she followed her out of the door and into the corridor. "And… Quinn says she might come." _Oh._ Brittany noticed her worried expression and squeezed her reassuringly on the arm. "Sweetie, it's okay. I know you need more time before you tell her. She just said she wants to see you 'cause you guys haven't hung out in a while. It'll be fine. I'll tell the others not to say anything, okay?" Santana nodded and tried her best to smile. Brittany gave her a quick kiss and told her she'd see her later, before disappearing out of the back exit. Santana took a deep breath before swinging open the door to the bar.

It's not that Santana had been _avoiding_ Quinn exactly. It's just that she'd been really busy recently with work and school, so she hadn't had much time to see her. Quinn had been busy too, what with her end of year exams coming up, so she was constantly in the library or studying. But all Santana knew was that the idea of telling her oldest friend about her and Brittany terrified her. She wasn't even sure why. Maybe it was because she'd known Quinn the longest; they'd grown up together and she knew almost everything about her, so perhaps Santana felt guilty for hiding this from her closest friend. Or maybe it was the fact that Quinn had never exactly been _approving_ of Santana's fluid sexuality. Or, and Santana thought this was probably the most likely reason, it was because Quinn had been wary of Santana getting too close to Brittany ever since she came back into their lives. She'd practically said that Santana wasn't good enough for her, and that she would only have a bad influence on the innocent blonde. Okay, so maybe she _had_ been avoiding Quinn. A little. It's just, the longer it went without her saying anything, the harder it got. And now everyone else knew – Rachel blurted it out to Tina and Mike after one too many cocktails – and Quinn was going to be even more pissed that she was the last to find out.

Santana sighed heavily as she stacked the bottles of rum under the bar and then began wiping the beer taps clean. She knew she had to tell Quinn. She just had no idea how, or what the hell she was going to say. Brittany had been wonderful and so patient, saying Santana could have all the time she needed. But Santana knew she found it awkward since she lived with Quinn and was close to her, and she hated not being able to give Brittany everything she deserved.

Santana rested her elbows down on the bar and took a deep breath. She was not looking forward to seeing Quinn later. It just meant a night of having to hide her feelings for Brittany, something she'd been enjoying not having to worry about lately. Their friends had gotten used to their coupley behaviour, cuddling and kissing and all that other mushy stuff which Santana used to find sickening up until now. She had turned into one of those people she hated; the loved up, stupid romantic types, and she had to admit she'd never been happier. But now she was going to have to hide all that tonight because she didn't have the balls to tell her best friend she was in a relationship with a girl. _"Fuck."_ She muttered under her breath, sighing deeply.

"Jesus, what's up in _your_ grill?" Puck asked, eyeing the Latina who hadn't realised he was now stood beside her.

"Nothing." Santana lied, pouring a beer and heading over to place it in front of the guy gesturing towards her at the end of the bar.

"Bullshit, Lezpez. I know you better than that." Puck replied, his eyebrows raised, staring the Latina down as she busied herself with mixing a vodka soda for no one in particular. When she still didn't answer, Puck sighed and stepped closer to his friend. "You seemed pretty happy a minute ago. What happened bud?" Santana took a deep breath and stared down at the drink in front of her.

"Quinn." She stated simply, not sure what else to say. Puck look confused for a second before his face softened in realisation.

"Oh."

"Yeah, _oh."_ Santana repeated, grabbing the drink and throwing half of it back in one gulp. She set it back down on the bar and breathed deeply.

"Because you're my friend, I'm gonna ignore the fact that you're drinking on your shift," Puck said with a small grin. "And ask you to talk to me. Quinn still doesn't know, huh?" Santana shook her head and turned to face her friend, who was leant with one arm on the bar, studying her carefully.

"No. And I haven't got a clue how the fuck I'm gonna tell her." She explained with a frustrated sigh. "I want to, I really do. For Brittany, and for me… I- I fucking hate having to lie to her."

"Then what? Just tell her." Puck said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Santana shook her head and took another gulp of her drink, letting the strong liquid soothe her a little.

"I just… I'm scared." She whispered almost inaudibly. Puck laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Dude, listen to me. You and Quinn have been buddies forever. She's here for you, we all are. She's not gonna judge you, okay? And you know what, if she does? Screw her." Santana chuckled and Puck grinned, happy to finally see his friend cheering up. "Just tell her. And if she has a problem with it, I'll beat her ass. Or you know, maybe you should. It's wrong to hit a woman." He added with a grin and Santana nudged his arm playfully.

"Thanks, Puckerman." She said sincerely, feeling herself a lot calmer now. "Who knew you were actually a decent human being?" She teased and he lifted his hand to his heart in feigned offense.

"Hey! Puckersaurus can be charming when he wants to be. Now get your lazy ass back to work and stop overthinking things!" Santana nodded and saluted him. He chuckled before he disappeared into the back again. Okay, she could so do this. She could tell Quinn. No big deal. She would walk right up to her and just tell her. Or maybe it would be better to do it over the phone? Or leave her a note…?

_Fucking hell_.

**…**


End file.
